How Torture Trapped Colin Powell Before his infamous U.N. speech, Colin Powell was set to dump dubious claims tying Iraq to al-Qaeda, but CIA officials changed his mind with a "bombshell" tainted by torture, reports Ray McGovern. May 18, 2009

Giving Some Love to the Inquisition A new Republican defense of George W. Bush's torture is to cite how well it worked in the Spanish Inquisition, Robert Parry writes. May 16, 2009

Tortured Logic; Tortured Results The evidence keeps building that the Bush administration used torture to get "proof" for invading Iraq, as William Loren Katz says. May 14, 2009

The Right Bullied Obama on Photos Bush defenders pummeled President Obama before his reversal on releasing photos of prisoner abuse, writes Jason Leopold. May 14, 2009

House Dems Seek Special Prosecutor House Judiciary Committee Democrats urge Attorney General Eric Holder to name a special counsel to investigate whether the Bush administration broke anti-torture laws, Jason Leopold reports. April 29, 2009

Torture and American Exceptionalism By acknowledging torture but opposing punishments, President Obama is sanctioning American exceptionalism, reports TheRealNews. April 26, 2009

Real World Reasons Against Torture Professional FBI interrogators were among those most horrified by George W. Bush's torture techniques for moral, legal and practical reasons, as former FBI agent Coleen Rowley writes in this guest essay. April 24, 2009

How Bush's Torture Helped al-Qaeda Though George W. Bush's defenders say his torture policies worked, al-Qaeda captives told fake stories about Iraq and bought time for al-Qaeda to regroup in nuclear-armed Pakistan, reports Robert Parry. April 23, 2009

Bush Team Ignored Waterboard Cases George W. Bush's lawyers found waterboarding to be legal, but Ronald Reagan's Justice Department prosectued a Texas sheriff and his deputies for the practice, notes Jason Leopold. April 23, 2009

On Torture, the Pressure Builds With the flood of disclosures about the Bush administration's torture policies, President Obama and his legal advisers are under growing pressure to authorize a criminal investigation, says Ray McGovern. April 22, 2009

Obama's Tortured Stance on Torture President Obama's tricky middle course on torture -- stopping the policy but letting the Bush administration off the hook -- doesn't seem to be getting him anywhere, notes Ivan Eland. April 21, 2009

GOP's Civil Liberties Hypocrisy Republican lawmakers are furious about a Homeland Security report on the threat of right-wing terrorism, but they didn't complain when the Bush administration targeted left-wing groups, notes Nat Parry. April 20, 2009

How Bush's Tortured Legal Logic Won President George W. Bush cleared the way for torturing "war on terror" detainees by ensuring that compliant lawyers were in the right spots at the Justice Department, reports Robert Parry. April 17, 2009

Bush's Hypocrisy on War Crimes In March 2003, when Iraqi TV videotaped some captured U.S. soldiers, President George W. Bush said those who abuse captives "will be treated as war criminals," but just not him, Jason Leopold notes. April 16, 2009

Help Us Hold Bush Accountable The U.S. news media mostly averts its eyes from the need to hold George W. Bush accountable for war crimes, but not us. However, we need your support. Please give what you can. April 15, 2009

NYT's American Blind Spot The New York Times lectures others about rule-of-law responsibilities but has a blind spot about its own shortcomings, especially when it comes to holding George W. Bush accountable, writes Robert Parry. April 15, 2009

Anatomy of Bush's Torture 'Paradigm' In explaining how America got on the road to torture, ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern traces the start of the sadistic journey to George W. Bush's tough-guy swagger after 9/11. April 14, 2009

CIA Videos Predated Bush MemoSome the CIA's destroyed videos of harsh interrogations were made before George W. Bush's Justice Department created a legal cover for practices that crossed the line into torture, Jason Leopold reports. April 11, 2009

America, Torture and HypocrisyThe newly disclosed Red Cross report on George W. Bush's torture policies represents a challenge to American democracy -- to finally face up to the dark side of recent U.S. history, writes Robert Parry. April 9, 2009

Easter Hope: Justice Against TortureAt Easter -- celebrating Jesus's triumph over torture and death -- Ray McGovern hopes Americans will demand that George W. Bush be brought to justice for disgracing the nation with torture and death. April 8, 2009

Bush's CIA Suspected of More TortureThe International Committee of the Red Cross complained that the Bush administration withheld information about what happened to many detainees at CIA secret prisons, Jason Leopold reports. April 8, 2009

Another Bush Intelligence FailureWhile boasting about the success of waterboarding and warrantless wiretaps, the Bush administration neglected the nuts and bolts of an effective intelligence community, reports Robert Parry. April 6, 2009

Cowardice in the Time of Torture By ignoring Vice President Dick Cheney's waterboarding admission, Attorney General Eric Holder is joining a "nation of cowards" who dare not confront torture, writes ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern. April 5, 2009

Leahy Bails on 'Truth Commission' Plan In a meeting with Vermonters, Sen. Patrick Leahy admitted that his plan for a "truth commission" to examine Bush administration abuses was a non-starter, says Charlotte Dennett in this guest report. April 1, 2009

To Bush's GWOT, RIP In killing off the phrase "global war on terror," the Obama administration had put one more nail in the coffin of George W. Bush's grandiose imperial presidency, writes Robert Parry. March 31, 2009

Democrats Duck Bush Torture Probe As evidence of George W. Bush's torture crimes grows, national Democrats are shrinking from their demands last year for a special prosecutor to build a war-crimes case, notes Jason Leopold. March 30, 2009

Spanish Judge Probes Bush Torture Spanish "super judge" Baltasar Garzon has launched a criminal investigation into the role of six senior Bush administration lawyers in creating a legal framework for torture, reports David Swanson. March 29, 2009

CIA Has 3,000 Docs on Torture Tapes The Justice Department discloses that the CIA has 3,000 documents -- memos, cables and e-mails -- about the destroyed videotapes of "war on terror" torture sessions, Jason Leopold reports. March 21, 2009

Torture Revealed Yet Again The proof of George W. Bush's crimes continues to build, including new revelations about his administration's use of torture, but the will to act on the evidence is lacking, as David Swanson notes. March 19, 2009

The Brave, Living and Dead The cost of George W. Bush's global wars is sometimes lost in numbers when it can be found in the price paid by individuals, both those who have died and those who survived, says Michael Winship. March 14, 2009

War Crimes & American Rejectionism As the law of war evolved, U.S. leaders played key roles -- until recent years when American rejectionism became the rule, repudiating efforts to hold Washington accountable, writes Peter Dyer. March 13, 2009

Bush Boasted about Tortured Captive In late 2002, as President George W. Bush boasted of capturing a Saudi national named al-Nashiri, the alleged USS Cole plotter was being waterboarded, a document reveals, reports Jason Leopold. March 8, 2009

Yoo Defends His Legal Memos Former Justice Department lawyer John Yoo refuses to back down on his assertion that President George W. Bush possessed virtually unlimited power to fight the "war on terror," reports Jason Leopold. March 7, 2009

War Crimes and Double Standards U.S. journalists are cheering war crimes charges against Sudan President Bashir for the Darfur atrocities, but the story is the opposite when it comes to George W. Bush's abuses, writes Robert Parry. March 5, 2009

House Strikes Deal for Rove Testimony The House Judiciary Committee secured an agreement for Karl Rove to testify behind closed doors about the Bush administration's firing of nine federal prosecutors, Jason Leopold reports. March 4, 2009

How Close the Bush Bullet It's now clear that George W. Bush saw the 9/11 attacks as an opening to assert right-wing legal theories that represented a bullet aimed at the heart of the American Republic, writes Robert Parry. March 4, 2009

Justice Memos Gave Bush Total Power Secret Justice Department memos asserted that President George W. Bush had unlimited power to prosecute the "war on terror" on American soil, reports Jason Leopold. March 3, 2009

CIA Destroyed More Torture Videos The CIA admits to a much higher number of destroyed videotapes -- 92 -- that recorded waterboarding and other harsh interrogation of "war on terror" detainees, reports Jason Leopold. March 2, 2009

Prosecution for Bush War Crimes The collapse of George W. Bush's torture defense -- that the lawyers okayed it -- is confronting the Obama administration with a stark choice on the rule of law, writes Marjorie Cohn. February 20, 2009

'Bitter' Gore; 'Principled' McCain In another double standard, the U.S. news media treats John McCain's attacks on Barack Obama as principled, but Al Gore's criticism of George Bush was driven by bitterness, writes Robert Parry. February 18, 2009

Needed NBC Series: 'Catch a Cheney' Instead of ambushing sex perverts and accused foreign leaders, NBC might want to use those surprise tactics against American war criminals like Cheney and Kissinger, says Jeff Cohen. February 17, 2009

Torture Report Erodes Bush's Defense A critical report by a Justice Department watchdog undercuts George W. Bush's claim that he is innocent of war crimes because he was relying on honest legal advice, writes Jason Leopold. February 15, 2009

Conyers Subpoenas Rove, Again House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers has set a deadline of Feb. 23 for ex-White House aide Karl Rove to testify about the firing of nine federal prosecutors, Jason Leopold reports. February 13, 2009

New Details on Torture Deaths The Pentagon released documents on how several prisoners in Afghanistan died under brutal interrogation as the Bush administration was toughening its methods in 2002, reports Jason Leopold. February 12, 2009

The Case for a G.W. Bush Memorial David Swanson takes a satirical look at die-hard George W. Bush fans making the case for a monument to honor their hero. February 12, 2009

The Fallacies of a 'Truth Commission' Democratic leaders favor a factfinding panel over a prosecutor to avoid a confrontation with Republicans over former President Bush's crimes -- a bad deal, argues David Swanson in this guest essay. February 11, 2009

A Government of Laws, Not of Men Official Washington is shying away from holding George W. Bush accountable for his crimes, but Peter Dyer says this challenge must be embraced as a chance to restore the Republic. February 10, 2009

First, Jail All Bush's Lawyers Attorney General Eric Holder might start fulfilling his pledge to "support and defend the Constitution" by squeezing George W. Bush's lawyers who justified torture and other crimes, writes Robert Parry. February 3, 2009

More Pressure for Bush Torture Probe The Obama administration is facing mounting demands from the public and Congress to conduct a serious investigation of torture and other abuses by the Bush administration, Jason Leopold reports. February 2, 2009

Out in the Cold at Christmas As George W. Bush's recession spreads havoc across the United States, millions of Americans were already shivering in the cold last Christmas, as Sherwood Ross notes in this guest essay. February 2, 2009

Honoring an Iraq War Whistleblower Danish intelligence officer Frank Grevil blew the whistle on the lie that George W. Bush's "coalition of the willing" was confident Iraq had WMD -- and was jailed for his truth-telling, Ray McGovern says. January 30, 2009

New Bush/Rove Privilege Fight Looms George W. Bush is signaling that he intends to extend his broad claims of executive privilege into his post-presidency by keeping political guru Karl Rove from testifying to Congress, writes Jason Leopold. January 27, 2009

The Republic Needs Bush's Prosecution Despite Official Washington's eagerness to move on, the future of the American Republic requires that George W. Bush and others face the rule of law, argues Ivan Eland in this guest essay. January 27, 2009

Europe Hopes Obama Shifts on 'Terror' European officials see a good chance for shrinking the Islamic terrorist threat if Barack Obama abandons George W. Bush's alarmist rhetoric and unrealistic strategy, reports Don Ediger. January 26, 2009

With Bush Gone, Time to Exhale Barack Obama's Inauguration has lifted the spirits of many who have been gritting their teeth during George W. Bush's eight years, as Vincent Guarisco notes in this guest essay. January 26, 2009

Bush's Faith-Based Gravy Train George W. Bush's legacy includes institutionalized subsidies for Christian Right groups working under the Faith-Based Initiative that Barack Obama has vowed to continue, notes Rev. Howard Bess. January 25, 2009

George W. Bush's Sci-Fi Disaster George W. Bush's presidency could be viewed as a science-fiction disaster movie -- aliens seizing control, plundering the planet and then forced out by celebrating humans, writes Robert Parry. January 24, 2009

Democrats Inch Toward Torture Probe To the surprise of progressives and consternation of Republicans, top Democrats are backing the idea of investigating torture and other crimes under George W. Bush, reports Jason Leopold. January 23, 2009

Obama Frees Bush Historical Records On his first full day in office, President Barack Obama revoked the Bush Family's authority to control documents relating to 20 years of American history, writes Robert Parry. January 22, 2009

Historical Mystery of Bush's Presidency As Americans rejoice at the arrival of Barack Obama -- and the departure of George W. Bush -- there remains the troubling question of how Bush's presidency happened at all, Robert Parry notes. January 20, 2009

Dangerous Words: 'War on Terror' A simple phrase, "War on Terror," was at the heart of George W. Bush's wrongdoing, Christiane Brown says in a guest essay. January 19, 2009

A Global Margin Call The world's economy is suffering from a cascade of investment failure that must be stopped, says Brent Budowsky. January 18, 2009

Bush's Only Gift to America George W. Bush leaves behind a much weaker America than he inherited, but that painful reality contains an important lesson on the need for truth and accountability, writes Robert Parry. January 17, 2009

Bush's Deficit May Doom America The fiscal mess that George W. Bush is leaving behind may complete America's transformation from a great republic to a banana republic, as Robert Higgs notes in this guest essay. January 15, 2009

Obama Waffles on Torture Prosecution Barack Obama indicates he will repudiate many of George W. Bush's "war on terror" policies but probably will not pursue prosecutions for torture and other crimes, Jason Leopold writes. January 12, 2009

WPost Again Flacks for Bush's Crimes In a remarkably one-sided "news" article, the Washington Post warns Barack Obama to tread softly in seeking any accountability for the Bush administration's torture policies, Robert Parry writes. January 10, 2009

What Am I Bid for the American Wild? George W. Bush's last-minute rush to auction off American lands got tripped up by an enterprising college student who posed as one of the bidders, Michael Winship writes in this guest essay. January 10, 2009

Conyers Seeks Probe of Bush Crimes House Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers has opened the new Congress with a proposal for a blue-ribbon panel to investigate the Bush administration's abuses, writes Jason Leopold. January 7, 2009

Bush Spins Scandalous Neglect of Vets As the White House rewrites the history of George W. Bush's presidency, one of the biggest whoppers relates to the supposedly first-rate treatment of American veterans, Jason Leopold writes. January 6, 2009

Israel's Looming Catastrophe For three decades, Israeli leaders have relied on a political-military strategy that is fast collapsing, requiring some new thinking to avert catastrophe, writes Robert Parry. January 4, 2009

WPost Columnist Excuses Torture Washington Post editorialist Ruth Marcus has tested out some excuses for holding no one from the Bush administration accountable for torture, as David Swanson observes in this guest essay. January 4, 2009

Making 'Duck Soup' Out of Today The Marx Brothers classic "Duck Soup" expressed the madness of an earlier time that has striking parallels to today, says Bill Moyers and Michael Winship in this guest essay. January 2, 2009

Pity the Poor Neocons Even as American neocons cheer on Israel's bombardment of Gaza, they are reconciling themselves to the failure of their grandiose strategy for remaking the Middle East, writes Robert Parry. January 2, 2009

Torture & the Crime of Aggressive War A Senate report traced the crime of torture back to a 2002 memo signed by George W. Bush, but accountability is needed, too, for the 2003 aggressive war against Iraq, writes Peter Dyer. December 31, 2008

GOP Judge Gives Bush a Gitmo Victory A weakness in the habeas corpus hearings for Guantanamo detainees is that many cases will be heard by partisan Republican jurists, like U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, writes Robert Parry. December 31, 2008

How Hypocrisy on 'Terrorism' Kills The U.S.-Israeli double standard on "terrorism" -- applying the term only to enemies -- has real-life and, as is now clear in Gaza, real-death consequences, notes Robert Parry. December 30, 2008

Two Dangerous Bush-Cheney Myths George W. Bush and Dick Cheney are trying to keep some shine on their eight-year reign by pushing two key myths: that torture saved lives and the "surge" saved Iraq, writes Robert Parry. December 26, 2008

Cheney Defends Waterboarding Order Vice President Dick Cheney says he "signed off" on waterboarding and other harsh interrogation tactics, essentially daring the U.S. legal system to hold him accountable, Jason Leopold writes. December 23, 2008

Democrats Need Their Own Cheney Vice President Dick Cheney stands proudly behind his role in prisoner abuse and warrantless wiretaps, but top Democrats don't seem to stand up for much of anything, notes Brent Budowsky. December 23, 2008

Cheney's Contempt for the Republic In a revealing exit interview, Vice President Dick Cheney defends his notion of an imperial presidency and says he had quiet support from some high-ranking Democrats, writes Robert Parry. December 22, 2008

Deterring Torture Through the Law Bush administration defenders say no one should be held to account for torture because criminal intent was lacking, but former FBI agent Coleen Rowley and ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern disagree. December 20, 2008

Bush's Blind Eye to Afghan Corruption George W. Bush has assured the Afghan government that Barack Obama will continue strong U.S. support, but the guarantee misses the point of Afghan's crippling corruption, Michael Winship notes. December 20, 2008

CIA Warned Condi on Niger Claim New evidence challenges Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's claim that the CIA didn't warn her against citing a dubious pre-war report about Iraq seeking uranium from Niger, writes Jason Leopold. December 19, 2008

Cheney Admits Detainee-Abuse Role Vice President Dick Cheney makes no apologies for his role in approving harsh interrogation tactics, such as waterboarding, on "war on terror" suspects, reports Jason Leopold. December 16, 2008

Bush's Misguided Offensive Strategies In the "war on terror," President George W. Bush likes to talk about staying on the offensive, but -- as Ivan Eland observes in this guest essay -- sometimes those strategies can backfire. December 16, 2008

Sorting Out the New Iraq Though violence in Iraq is down, the fissures over oil and money have not been closed. Watch TheRealNews.com's video. December 14, 2008

Torture Trail Seen Starting with Bush A bipartisan Senate report traces the origins of the waterboarding torture scandal and the Abu Ghraib abuses to an order from President George W. Bush in early 2002, reports Jason Leopold. December 12, 2008

Bush's Farewell Hallelujah Chorus The U.S. news media is giving President George W. Bush one more gentle round of interviews on his farewell tour, notes Michael Winship in this guest essay. December 12, 2008

A Time Machine to Save America Looking at the mess created by George W. Bush, it seems the only answer may be to spend the trillion-dollar bailout funds on a time machine that takes us back eight years, observes Robert Parry. December 11, 2008

Condi's Advice to India on Terror Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urges India to show restraint after the Mumbai attacks, advice she famously failed to give President Bush after 9/11, as Ivan Eland notes in this guest essay. December 9, 2008

Mukasey's 'Nixon Defense' of Bush Richard Nixon famously said that "when the President does it ... it is not illegal." Now, Attorney General Michael Mukasey is reviving that argument to defend George W. Bush, writes Jason Leopold. December 6, 2008

Bush Still Lies about Iraqi Inspections In a new TV interview, George W. Bush continues a favorite Iraq War lie, that Saddam Hussein didn't let U.N. inspectors in -- and another big-name journalist doesn't contradict him, Robert Parry writes. December 2, 2008

Kafka and Uighurs at Guantanamo The great American traditions of Thanksgiving Day don't apply to Chinese Uighurs still locked up at Guantanamo despite agreement that they represent no threat, observes Ray McGovern. November 26, 2008

The GOP Judge Who Bolted on Gitmo The Bush administration was stunned by a federal court order to free five Algerians from Guantanamo -- shocked in part because the judge was counted as a reliable Republican, says Robert Parry. November 22, 2008

Detroit-Washington Shotgun Wedding If GM and other struggling U.S. automakers are to get a federal bailout, they finally may have to accept limits on their irresponsible behavior, notes Brian Barger. November 18, 2008

Predictable Disaster of George W. Bush After almost eight years of incompetence, President George W. Bush smirks about facing "a depression greater than the Great Depression." But why weren't American voters better warned in 2000? November 16, 2008

The New Technology of Repression A new Pentagon research project will analyze and index surveillance video of a wide range of human activities as part of an assessment of potential terrorist or insurgent threats, Robert Parry reports. October 30, 2008

Bush's Looming Defeat in Iraq The latest draft of the U.S.-Iraq "status-of-forces" agreement outlines the shape of a strategic defeat for President George W. Bush's imperial approach to the Middle East, writes Robert Parry. October 27, 2008

Attack on Iran Off the Table? With George W. Bush's days in office counting down, the prospects for an attack on Iran appear to be dwindling too, although former CIA analyst Ray McGovern says the reasons aren't well understood. October 18, 2008

How America Fell Explaining how the U.S. got so off track under George W. Bush, a useful case study was the Right's success in smearing Al Gore with suspicions of selling nuclear secrets to China, writes Robert Parry. October 14, 2008

Wall St. Bailout: 'Plan B' for Buffett Taxpayers might find the Wall Street bailout easier to buy if it tracked Warren Buffett's recent investments that stand to profit from a recovery, as Brent Budowsky suggests in this guest essay. October 3, 2008

Assessing the Bush Doctrine George W. Bush insists his "war on terror" is winning, but is that just another delusion? Watch TheRealNews.com's video. September 29, 2008

Wanted: Another Franklin Roosevelt When the United States faced an earlier financial crisis, President Franklin Roosevelt argued against fear and offered common-sense government solutions, recalls Michael Winship. September 26, 2008

America Pays the Piper, Big Time To understand how the United States got itself into today's bailout mess, one has to look back three decades to the rise of Ronald Reagan, the neocons and the anti-regulators, notes Robert Parry. September 24, 2008

A 9/11 'What-If?' What would have happened if the United States had stuck to its rule-of-law principles after 9/11 and brought al-Qaeda leaders to justice, rather than waging a "war on terror," asks Peter Dyer. September 11, 2008

Did al-Qaeda Succeed? The 9/11 attacks opened the door to neocon strategies that overreached in the Middle East -- and now U.S. intelligence foresees "diminished" American power in the future, Robert Parry reports. September 11, 2008

Iran's Road Less Traveled to Nukes Despite Bush administration alarms about Iran building a nuclear bomb, the top U.S. intelligence analyst still sees no evidence that Iran has restarted a weapons program, Ray McGovern writes. September 10, 2008

The Rising Cost of the Iraq 'Surge' The U.S. news media's conventional wisdom about the "successful surge" in Iraq may not stand up to serious scrutiny but it is reshaping Campaign 2008 and may mean a longer war, Robert Parry writes. September 9, 2008

Bush Still Fights House Subpoenas George W. Bush shows how to slowroll a congressional investigation by using legal delaying tactics, reports Jason Leopold. September 8, 2008

Bush Escalates Tensions with Russia The new missile-defense pact with Poland reflects George W. Bush's anger over the Russia-Georgia conflict, but it may make matters worse, as Ivan Eland notes in this guest essay. August 28, 2008

Court Rebuffs White House Immunity A federal judge turned back a White House manuever aimed at running out the clock on congressional subpoenas to two senior officials regarding the firing of U.S. prosecutors, reports Jason Leopold. August 27, 2008

Double Standards on Russia-Kosovo George W. Bush is outraged that Russia recognized two breakaway Georgian provinces, but he did much the same regarding Kosovo, as J. Victor Marshall observes in this guest essay. August 27, 2008

Conyers Questions Iraq 'Forgery' The mystery swirling around a forged letter tying Saddam Hussein to al-Qaeda has led Rep. John Conyers to seek testimony from six Bush administration officials, reports Jason Leopold. August 21, 2008

Musharraf, Not Bush, Follows Nixon Pakistan's fragile democracy held an abusive president accountable with Pervez Musharraf's resignation, but the U.S. Congress won't do the same, notes former CIA analyst Ray McGovern. August 20, 2008

The Limits of American Power Thoughtful Americans across the political spectrum are finally resisting the reckless neocon vision of an all-powerful U.S. dominating the world by force, as Michael Winship notes in this guest essay. August 20, 2008

Out Damn Blot: A Letter to Colin Powell If Colin Powell wants to reduce the blot on his record for telling lies about the Iraq War, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern urges Powell to start by testifying truthfully to Congress. August 15, 2008

Neocons Now Love International Law U.S. neoconservatives who despise international law when it gets in their way suddenly feel differently as they condemn Russia for violating Georgia's sovereignty, writes Robert Parry. August 12, 2008

The Hamdan Principle and You The verdict against al-Qaeda driver Ahmed Hamdan has a chilling subtext: any person can be put before the rigged military tribunals even without having committed a violent act, writes Robert Parry. August 7, 2008

We Don't Need a 'War on Terror' A new RAND study says the best way to defeat al-Qaeda is to treat the band like criminals and to kill its leaders, not mount a grand "war on terror," as Ivan Eland notes in this guest essay. August 5, 2008

Justice Probe Still Threatens Gonzales The next phase of the Justice Department's internal investigation dealing with political prosecutions may lead to legal troubles for former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, reports Jason Leopold. August 1, 2008

Wave of 'Capitol Crimes' Continues From Jack Abramoff's influence-peddling to politicizing the Justice Department, Washington is awash in the swill of corruption, as Bill Moyers and Michael Winship write in this guest essay. July 31, 2008

Bush's Mass Pardons Predicted Facing future criminal and legal liability, George W. Bush may well try to fashion mass pardons to protect himself and other administration officials, predicts Brent Budowsky in this guest essay. July 26, 2008

The Torturing Company We Keep The Bush administration's semantic games around torture have put the United States in league with barbaric regimes that Washington once condemned, says Michael Winship in this guest essay. July 25, 2008

Bush's 'Surge' Gets Mixed Reviews Congressional investigators say that while violence in Iraq dropped off during George W. Bush's troop "surge," many of its goals were not met and many gains are fragile, reports Jason Leopold. July 24, 2008

Rove End-Runs House Democrats Former White House political adviser Karl Rove, who has refused to testify before Congress, instead inserted his denials of wrongdoing in the Congressional Record, reports Jason Leopold. July 24, 2008

The Exaggeration of Terror With its stuck-on-orange alert levels and swollen no-fly lists, the Bush administration knows well the value of exaggerating the terror threat, as Ivan Eland observes in this guest essay. July 23, 2008

Gitmo 'Justice' for US Citizens? President George W. Bush has the right to throw U.S. citizens -- as well as non-citizens -- into a legal black hole as "enemy combatants," a conservative U.S. Appeals Court has ruled. July 21, 2008

'Justifying' Torture: Two Big Lies Former Attorney General John Ashcroft was the latest torture apologist to waltz through a congressional hearing, according to former FBI agent Coleen Rowley and ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern. July 19, 2008

Iraq's Falling Fig Leaf The Bush administration's cool reaction to Iraq's call for a U.S. withdrawal timetable has stripped away some of the nice-sounding rationales for the war, as former CIA analyst Peter W. Dickson notes. July 18, 2008

Mother's Milk of Politics Turns Sour Political money can be traced to the root of much that has gone wrong recently in Washington, from the mortgage fiasco to telecom immunity, say Bill Moyers and Michael Winship. July 18, 2008

Conyers Plans Impeachment Substitute House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers is shelving impeachment hearings on George W. Bush, but will hold a wide-ranging inquiry on Bush's abuses. July 18, 2008

Bush Hides 'Plame-gate' Testimony George W. Bush applied a novel theory of executive privilege to block the release of Vice President Dick Cheney's interview with the special prosecutor for the "Plame-gate" CIA leak scandal. July 16, 2008

The High Cost of Bush's Iraq Gambit George W. Bush's claim that Iraq was al-Qaeda's "central front" is now being challenged by Democrat Barack Obama, who says troops must be moved to the Afghan theater. July 15, 2008

Kucinich Pushes on Impeachment Rep. Dennis Kucinich says the time for talk about George W. Bush's crimes has passed and the time for action on impeachment has arrived. But House leaders are still dragging their heels. July 12, 2008

Bush Looks to His (Secret) Legacy George W. Bush, who just got new power to spy on everyone else's e-mail, threatens to veto a bill that would force the White House to archive its e-mails for historians. July 11, 2008

Stalling on Impeachment The House Judiciary Committee chairman balks at a decision on President Bush's impeachment. Watch TheRealNews.com's video. July 11, 2008

Mukasey: Bush's New 'Mr. Cover-up' Attorney General Michael Mukasey snubbed Senate Judiciary Committee concerns that he examine past abuses by the Bush administration as he emerges as the new "Mr. Cover-up." July 10, 2008

Will the Democrats Ever Learn? Democratic leaders -- and Barack Obama -- appear poised to let George W. Bush off the hook on his warrantless wiretaps without even letting the American people know what abuses were committed. July 8, 2008

Bush-Cheney Crony Got Iraq Oil Deal Oilman Ray Hunt had close ties to the Bush family and Dick Cheney dating back years, giving him an important leg up in landing a controversial oil deal with Iraq's Kurdistan regional government. July 6, 2008

Bush's 'Wonderland' Logic A federal appeals court likened the logic used to lock up one Guantanamo detainee for six years to the writings of Lewis Carroll, in which the mere repetition of an unsupported allegation becomes proof. July 2, 2008

Iran-Contra's 'Lost Chapter' Two decades ago, Iran-Contra investigators discovered that Republicans were using CIA propaganda tactics domestically, but the finding was discarded in a congressional compromise. A Special Report. June 30, 2008

It Was Oil, All Along Deep into the sixth bloody year in Iraq, new disclosures support the long-denied suspicion that oil was a key motive for war, as Bill Moyers and Michael Winship note in this guest essay. June 27, 2008

Defending the President as Tyrant Top Bush administration lawyers John Yoo and David Addington bobbed and weaved before congressional questions about whether there are any limits on atrocities that George W. Bush can commit. June 27, 2008

Bush 'Torture' Lawyers Duck Questions Two architects of George W. Bush's imperial presidency put their skills at legal quibbling to work in frustrating a House committee seeking answers about the origins of Bush's "torture" policies. June 27, 2008

Readers' Comments Readers had comments on Democratic concessions on wiretapping and other political developments. June 25, 2008

Top Dems Hand Bush Key Victories After winning control of Congress, Democratic leaders vowed to bring the reckless George W. Bush to heel, especially on the Iraq War and his abuse of the Constitution. Instead, they continue to cave in. June 21, 2008

Democrats Legalize Bush's Crimes Democratic leaders are pushing through a "compromise" wiretap bill that tells George W. Bush to follow the law in the future while eliminating any accountability for his violations in the past. June 20, 2008

Bomb Iran? What's to Stop Us? The momentum toward war with Iran continues to build and serious action on George W. Bush's impeachment may be the only way to stop it, writes former CIA analyst Ray McGovern. June 19, 2008

The Semantics of Bush's Torture Policy Newly released government records show how the Bush administration built a facade of semantics and a wall of secrecy to hide its policy of abusing and torturing detainees. June 18, 2008

Bush/Cheney Transcripts Subpoenaed The House Oversight Committee has formally demanded that the Justice Department turn over FBI transcripts of interviews with President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney about the leaking of a CIA officer's identity five years ago. June 17, 2008

Kucinich Comments on Impeachment The major U.S. news media won't give the idea of impeaching George W. Bush the time of day. So, here are excerpts from an interview with Rep. Dennis Kucinich about his 35 articles of impeachment. June 17, 2008

Finally, Congress Looks at Plame-gate Five years ago, George W. Bush's White House set in motion the "Plame-gate" scandal, the exposure of a covert CIA officer after her husband blew the whistle on Bush's use of false intelligence on Iraq. Finally, Congress is holding a hearing. A Special Report. June 16, 2008

The Republic on a Knife's Edge By one vote, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected President George W. Bush's right to imprison people he calls "unlawful enemy combatants" indefinitely at Guantanamo Bay. But this issue of an all-powerful Executive may spill over to the November election. June 13, 2008

Jail Time for Tenet? If the U.S. political landscape shifts next year, former CIA Director George Tenet may face legal questions about his service to George W. Bush, including -- as former CIA analyst Ray McGovern notes -- Tenet's cover-up of how Bush bungled the pre-9/11 warnings. June 11, 2008

WPost's Enduring Bush Cover-up Once the proud newspaper that broke the Watergate scandal, the Washington Post is now helping to cover up presidential wrongdoing with its rear-guard defense of George W. Bush's Iraq War lies. June 10, 2008

Abramoff Had Closer Ties to Bush Convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff posed in at least five photos with President George W. Bush and had hundreds of contacts with Bush's staff, including senior White House aide Karl Rove. June 10, 2008

Senate Hits Bush, Cheney on Iraq IntelThe Senate Intelligence Committee has issued a long-delayed report concluding that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney misused intelligence to get the American people behind the Iraq War. June 5, 2008

National Debt Erodes Public Trust Among the many challenges facing the next U.S. administration will be the federal debt that has ballooned under George W. Bush. In this guest essay, author Andrew L. Yarrow argues that the rising debt has eroded public confidence in government. June 5, 2008

Libby Links Cheney to Plame Leak In a newly disclosed FBI interview, Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff Lewis Libby says it's "possible" that his boss told him to leak the identity of covert CIA officer Valerie Plame Wilson. A congressional panel now wants access to Cheney's response. June 4, 2008

Australia Bolts Iraq Over Bush's Lies The new Australian government is not only pulling its troops out of Iraq, but also citing false intelligence used by the Bush administration to justify the invasion. In this article, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern notes how the U.S. still lags in candor about the war. June 3, 2008

Readers' Comments Readers had comments on Scott McClellan's memoir, the sorry state of the U.S. news media and the risks ahead in the campaign. June 4, 2008

Bush Replays Iraq Games on Iran Amid the media frenzy over Scott McClellan's confirmation that George W. Bush misled the nation to war in Iraq, another crucial point is being missed: that a replay of many of the Iraq games is occurring on Iran, as former CIA analyst Ray McGovern reports. June 1, 2008

McClellan and the Media 'Enablers' One of ex-White House press secretary Scott McClellan's sharpest barbs was aimed at George W. Bush's "complicit enablers" in the U.S. press corps, those who acquiesced to the Iraq War lies. In this guest essay, media critic Jeff Cohen agrees with that point. May 31, 2008

George Bush, At Sea in the Desert George W. Bush still sees himself as the key mover and shaker in the Middle East, telling others what they must do. But the reality is far different, as Michael Winship notes in this guest essay. May 30, 2008

McClellan Suggests Plame Cover-up As the Plame-gate CIA-leak investigation zeroed in on White House aides Karl Rove and Lewis Libby in 2005, the two men got together for an unusual private meeting, ex-White House press secretary Scott McClellan reveals in his new memoir. May 29, 2008

Surprise, Surprise: Bush Lied A book by ex-White House press secretary Scott McClellan adds new evidence that George W. Bush is a liar about almost everything -- from his cocaine use to his invasion of Iraq. But an even more troubling question may be: Why did the U.S. press corps play along? May 28, 2008

Taking a Toll of War on Memorial Day Too often, Memorial Day -- like other patriotic holidays -- is exploited to glorify war. In this guest essay, Bill Moyers and Michael Winship argue that the real tribute to those who have given their lives should be to never again launch a war of choice. May 24, 2008

Bush's 'War Crimes' & Misdemeanors In 2004, when the Abu Ghraib photos surfaced, George W. Bush assured Americans that he was as shocked and angry as they were. But a new Inspector General's report reveals Bush's White House turning a deaf ear to FBI complaints about nearly identical detainee abuses. May 22, 2008

Bush's Endless Hypocrisy on Terror As George W. Bush lectures the world about taking a principled stand against terrorism -- even conjuring up Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler -- his administration turns a blind eye toward a Miami gala honoring one of the most notorious right-wing Cuban terrorists. May 21, 2008

An Appeal to Admiral Fallon on Iran When Adm. William "Fox" Fallon stepped down as the top U.S. military officer on the Middle East, a key obstacle to a possible U.S. strike against Iran was removed. In this open letter, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern urges Fallon to speak out on the dangers of a wider war. May 19, 2008

The Bushes and Hitler's Appeasement In a speech to the Knesset, George W. Bush mocked a long-dead U.S. senator who was surprised at Adolf Hitler's invasion of Poland in 1939. But Bush might have used the occasion to apologize for his family's worse misjudgment in profiting off the Nazi war machine. May 18, 2008

Danger: Tough Talk & Wishful Thinking America has paid a high price in the Iraq War because of the Bush administration's dangerous tendency to mix tough talk and wishful thinking. But George W. Bush and John McCain were at it again in speeches given on opposite sides of the world. May 16, 2008

Bush's Iraq War Harms US Security Just weeks ago, neocons were cheering the glorious success of George W. Bush's Iraq War "surge," but now the old reality of a bloody quagmire has returned, as Charles V. Peña notes in this guest essay. May 15, 2008

Torture Policy Undermines 9/11 Case The Bush administration's torture of "war on terror" suspects has come back to haunt the prosecution of a top 9/11 suspect, the so-called "20th hijacker," Mohammed al-Qahtani. With key evidence tainted by abusive interrogations, the Pentagon dropped the charges. May 15, 2008

Politicizing Burma's Tragedy It did seem odd watching the Bush administration, which let New Orleans drown, condemn Burma's dictatorship for its poor response to another weather tragedy. But -- as Ivan Eland notes in a guest essay -- this White House can't resist scoring political points. May 14, 2008

Bush's Worst Lie It may seem quaint, but Jimmy Carter based his 1976 campaign on the principle of never lying to the American people. In this guest essay, Jay Diamond argues that Carter deserves more credit and lying presidents, like George W. Bush, should get more blame. May 13, 2008

Lost E-Mails Obscure 'Plame-gate' The White House now admits it can't recover lost e-mails from emergency backup tapes for key dates in 2003, meaning some early Iraq War history may be lost. Two gaps also could obscure what senior Bush advisers were saying about early stages of the "Plame-gate" scandal. May 9, 2008

Executive or Imperial Branch? Lost amid the news media's obsession over Rev. Jeremiah Wright has been any attention toward how George W. Bush has trampled on the U.S. Constitution. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland takes a stab at getting the public to pay some attention to the future of the Republic. May 7, 2008

Sending Felons Off to War Bogged down in two quagmire wars, George W. Bush is scrounging for Americans willing to fight and is turning more and more to convicted felons, a risky move, says Ivan Eland in this guest essay. May 2, 2008

Abu Ghraib Film Obscures Truth Errol Morris's documentary "Standard Operating Procedure" promised to tell the whole truth about the Abu Ghraib scandal. Instead, it followed the path of previous cover-ups, blaming low-level MPs and even relying on the word of one private interrogator linked to the abuses. April 30, 2008

Halliburton Bribe Case Haunts Cheney Halliburton has disclosed that federal investigators are expanding their probe into alleged bribes paid by a company subsidiary to get contracts in Nigeria in the 1990s when Dick Cheney was CEO. Investigators also have complained about Halliburton's degree of cooperation. April 29, 2008

Truth or Neo-Consequences Neoconservatives, who helped push the United States into war in Iraq, have found a new target -- law-abiding Muslims and Arab-Americans who are trying to build careers in academia. A case in point was the tenure battle over a Barnard anthropology professor. April 29, 2008

Redefining Iran as the Enemy in Iraq The war drums in Washington and Tel Aviv are beating again for a possible confrontation with Iran before George W. Bush leaves office. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland looks at how the Bush administration is transforming Iran into the new enemy in Iraq. April 26, 2008

The Bush Team's Geneva Hypocrisy In the first days of the Iraq invasion, Bush administration officials accused Iraq of violating the Geneva Convention by showing video of captured U.S. troops. But newly released documents reveal some of those same officials busily turning the Geneva rules into Swiss cheese. April 25, 2008

Making a 'Killing' on the 'War on Terror' George W. Bush's "war on terror" has given birth to what Dwight Eisenhower might have called the "terror-industrial complex." In this guest essay, Ian S. Lustick looks at the institutionalized self-interest that has arisen from the shock over 9/11. April 25, 2008

VA Debated PR Plan on Vets' Suicides Faced with new data this year showing a stunning number of suicide attempts by U.S. war veterans, senior Veterans Administration officials exchanged e-mails on how to craft a possible P.R. strategy to minimize the negative impact of the news. Updated April 23, 2008

A Counterproductive 'War on Terror' George W. Bush boasts that his "forward-leaning" aggressive approach to the "war on terror" -- most notably, the occupation of Iraq -- is making America safe. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland finds a different lesson from the data on terrorism. April 23, 2008

What About the War, Benedict? Pope Benedict XVI maneuvered his way through Washington without upsetting his American hosts by criticizing the Iraq War, torture, and the Supreme Court's enthusiasm for capital punishment. Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern regrets an opportunity lost. April 21, 2008

Torture Question Hovers Over Chertoff John Yoo and some other legal architects of George W. Bush's torture policies are now out of the U.S. government. But one still holds Cabinet-level rank, Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff, who promised CIA interrogators protection on prosecutions. April 20, 2008

Bush's Iraq War Double-Speak With the Iraq War now in its sixth bloody year, there are predictable patterns to the new ad campaigns for optimism, with fresh corners turned and more reasons to mock war critics. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland looks at George W. Bush's happy Iraq War double-speak. April 12, 2008

Iraq War 'Blank Check' Balloons Not only does George W. Bush want Congress to give him more Iraq War money with no strings attached, but he is evading congressional oversight by packaging his requests as "emergency" spending. That spending also has doubled over the past four years. April 11, 2008

The Very Annoying Washington Post The Washington Post's editorial page is at it again, mocking Americans who don't buy into the grand wisdom of George W. Bush's Iraq War. What makes this so annoying is that the Post never admits that it got virtually the entire Iraq War wrong. April 11, 2008

Yoo's on First? The disclosure of a five-year-old torture memo by Justice Department official John Yoo focused press attention on this advocate of unlimited presidential wartime powers. But former CIA analyst Ray McGovern says the real blame should fall on Yoo's top boss. April 10, 2008

Dems Shy Away from Iraq Money Fight Congressional Democrats may have asked tougher questions of Gen. David Petraeus, but the end result looks to be the same. Despite vowing not to give George W. Bush another Iraq War "blank check," Democratic leaders are signaling they will do just that. April 9, 2008

Taking the Incentive Out of War The trillions of dollars poured into the military-industrial complex have spilled over into other parts of the U.S. political system -- financing think tanks, media outlets and politicians. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland argues that these financial incentives must be curtailed. April 9, 2008

Bush, Petraeus and an Endless War Gen. David Petaeus returned to Capitol Hill with more talk of progress in Iraq but little hope that America's 140,000-troop-strong expeditionary force will be coming home any time soon. In this guest essay, Brent Budowsky still sees a tragic war without end. April 8, 2008

Yoo's Memo Hints at Bush's Secrets In a just-declassified 2003 memo, Justice Department lawyer John Yoo said George W. Bush could order abuse of captives to extract information. But one provocative footnote said Bush also could ignore constitutional rights while undertaking domestic military operations. April 6, 2008

Building a Legal Framework for Torture In 1988, after the United States signed the Convention Against Torture, President Ronald Reagan noted that it obligated nations to prosecute any torturer found within their borders. To escape that responsibility, George W. Bush's lawyers turned logic inside out. April 3, 2008

All Power to the President The release of a five-year-old Justice Department memo underscores how far the advocates for George W. Bush's unfettered power were ready to go. But the enduring threat is that four U.S. Supreme Court justices -- one shy of a majority -- favor that imperial presidency. April 2, 2008

A Good Thing from the Bush Years There have been a lot of negatives from George W. Bush's presidency, including a disastrous war and a damaged economy. But let's look at a positive: his disdain for reality has created a common cause for honest American journalists and patriotic CIA analysts. April 1, 2008

Delusionary, Dancing Bush Chaos in Iraq is again undercutting George W. Bush's pronouncements about his military successes. Yet, as Bush dances through his final 10 months in office, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern notes how scary Bush's delusions can be for the world. March 31, 2008

PBS on Iraq: A Compilation of Deceit A PBS documentary on the Iraq War broke little new ground, but compiled the extraordinary record of the Bush administration's deceit. In this guest essay, Middle East expert Morgan Strong noted one new motive for the war: the desire to have Iraq recognize Israel. March 30, 2008

When a Great Power Goes Mad The collective unreality that dominated Washington during the rush to war in Iraq has retreated but not disappeared. Indeed, it seems to be reemerging in a new form, which attributes the catastrophe in Iraq to some honest mistakes by well-meaning people. March 28, 2008

Readers' Comments With all the news about Iraq and the presidential campaign, readers had a lot to say. Here is a selection. March 29, 2008

US Document Confirms Iraq Dungeon The top U.S. commander in western Iraq says detainees at a jail in Fallujah are living in sub-human conditions, according to a classified memo leaked to a whistleblower Web site. March 27, 2008

A Few Big Lies: Not Handling Iraq Truth Mainstream American journalists and politicians have a new excuse for why they were so oblivious to the Iraq War risks five years ago -- that no one could have foreseen the likely disaster. But that simply isn't true: many brave people spoke up but were ignored. March 26, 2008

Frontline's Timid Iraq Retrospective Over two nights, PBS Frontline served up a four-hour retrospective on "Bush's War" in Iraq, focusing on bureaucratic rivalries and incompetence. But, as former CIA analyst Ray McGovern observes, Frontline averted its eyes from many of the tougher questions. March 26, 2008

4,000 Dead, Zero Accountability George W. Bush observed the grim landmark of 4,000 dead U.S. soldiers in Iraq with a promise to continue the war through to "victory," a scenario as unlikely as the opposite, that Bush will be held accountable for his actions. Bush might even get to hand over power to a Republican successor who foresees 100 more years in Iraq. March 25, 2008

White House Balks at E-Mail Search The White House told a federal court that searching individual computers for allegedly lost e-mails about the Iraq invasion and the outing of a covert CIA officer would be too costly and too time-consuming. The hard drives of many older computers have already been destroyed, said a senior aide to President Bush. March 24, 2008

Five Years On, How to Leave Iraq Though other factors may have contributed more to the drop in Iraq's violence, George W. Bush is hailing the success of his "surge." What is clear is that the "surge" bought Bush more time to run out the clock, as Ivan Eland notes in this guest essay. March 22, 2008

The Road to 'Operation Iraqi Freedom' As the war in Iraq enters its sixth year, a common refrain from politicians is "don't dwell on the past, think about the future," an argument that distracts Americans from lessons that this history can teach. In this guest article, Jason Leopold recalls that troubling history. March 20, 2008

Iraq War as War Crime (Part One) The Iraq War -- now ending its fifth bloody year -- represents a terrible human tragedy and a stunning strategic blunder. But it also was a systemic failure of American political and journalistic institutions, which failed to check George W. Bush's imperial impulse and enabled a grotesque war crime. Part One of a two-part series. March 18, 2008

Iraq War as War Crime (Part Two) From the start of George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq -- five years ago -- the toll on Iraqi civilians and on out-gunned Iraqi soldiers was staggering. Indeed, that appears to have been part of the message Bush's neocon advisers wanted to send to other countries that might think of resisting Washington's imperial ambitions. March 19, 2008

Viewing Iraq 'Winter Soldier' Testimony Nearing the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War, U.S. veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan gave painful testimony about the routine brutality inflicted on citizens of those countries. But -- unlike similar "Winter Soldier" hearings during the Vietnam War -- mainstream U.S. media couldn't entirely black these out. March 17, 2008

Ex-US Attorney Cites GOP Voter Abuse In an upcoming book, fired U.S. Attorney David Iglesias writes that George W. Bush's Justice Department pressed federal prosecutors around the country to prosecute "voter fraud" cases even when the evidence was slim. March 17, 2008

Happy Fifth Birthday, DHS! The U.S. government's post-9/11 "reforms" have often proved inept or ineffectual, but none has compiled a more dubious record than the Department of Homeland Security, which just turned five. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland offers a report card. March 15, 2008

Suddenly, a Dangerous Turn Two events have depressed hopes for a U.S. military disengagement from the Middle East. One was the sudden resignation of Admiral William Fallon, a key opponent of air strikes against Iran. The other is the harsh Clinton assault on Barack Obama, the most dovish of the three remaining presidential candidates. March 14, 2008

Spitzer & America's Perverse Ethics The U.S. news media can't get enough of the prostitution scandal that brought down New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, but the same media won't give a minute to a serious debate over the impeachable war crimes of George W. Bush. In this guest essay, Rabbi Michael Lerner looks at the perverse state of America's ethics. March 12, 2008

Nadler Disses Voters on Impeachment New Yorkers from Rep. Jerrold Nadler's district held a town hall meeting to urge the chairman of the House Judiciary panel on the Constitution to move on Dick Cheney's impeachment. But -- as Ray McGovern writes -- Nadler was a no-show, in line with other key Democrats. March 11, 2008

Bush, Colombia & Narco-Politics The Bush administration defended Colombia's government for its attack against leftist guerrillas inside Ecuador - a position echoed by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. But there is another dark side to the story, a reality that Official Washington wants to ignore. March 9, 2008

Losing Iraq and Afghanistan The Bush administration has gotten the U.S. press corps and much of the public to focus on minor security gains in Iraq and on finger-pointing at allied troop levels in Afghanistan. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland looks at the troubling bigger picture. March 6, 2008

Twisting Health Language for Torture Besides the arrogance behind George W. Bush's arrogation of power, there is the incompetence of his legal thinking, including the bizarre reasoning for such pivotal rulings as the one authorizing torture. In this guest article, journalist Jason Leopold looks at how administration lawyer John Yoo concocted the "torture memo." February 16, 2008

Bush Turns US Soldiers into Murderers George W. Bush's vision of an endless war against Islamic militants is not only degrading the quality of the U.S. military but is devastating its image as well. Exhausted American soldiers are exploiting loose rules of engagement to kill unarmed Iraqis and Afghanis. February 13, 2008

Waterboarders for God As George W. Bush reminded the National Prayer Breakfast to treat all God's creatures as "precious," his subordinates around Washington defended the use of waterboarding on terror suspects. The juxtaposition stunned former CIA analyst Ray McGovern. February 8, 2008

Injecting 'Terror' into Campaign 2008 The Bush administration is warning about an impending al-Qaeda terror attack, this one using Americans and other Westerners to blend in with U.S. society. The new alarm -- at a key moment in Campaign 2008 -- puts Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on the spot. February 6, 2008

Five Years for Powell -- and VIPS Colin Powell's deceptive speech to the United Nations five years ago marked the start of an extraordinary effort by former U.S. intelligence analysts -- in the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity -- to warn the nation of the dangers of politicized intel. VIPS founder Ray McGovern has mixed feelings about this fifth anniversary. February 5, 2008

Colin Powell's Fateful Lies Five years ago, the final path to war in Iraq was paved with lies from then-Secretary of State Colin Powell. This excerpt from Neck Deep examines the oratorical techniques that Powell used to sell his false United Nations testimony as truth. February 5, 2008

G.W. Bush Is a Criminal, Like His Dad Attorney General Michael Mukasey danced around the obvious, that George W. Bush sanctioned torture of terror suspects and thus should face impeachment and/or prosecution. But the Democrats were happy to join in Mukasey's minuet, much like they did during the Clinton years in ignoring evidence of George H.W. Bush's crimes. January 31, 2008

Iniquities of War, Inequities of Life George W. Bush's "war on terror" and the Iraq War have led the United States to debase its highest ideals, at home and abroad. For former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, a personal diagnosis on the health front brought into focus these iniquities of war and inequities of life. January 31, 2008

The Fight for Bush's Legacy National Democrats seem content to let the clock run out on George W. Bush's presidency with no serious effort to hold him accountable. The same approach was followed by Bill Clinton regarding George H.W. Bush in the 1990s with disastrous results. January 29, 2008

CBS Falsifies Iraq War History In the real world, Saddam Hussein's Iraq announced in 2002 that it didn't have WMD, sent the U.N. a 12,000-page declaration to that effect, and let U.N. inspectors in to check. In George W. Bush's world -- and according to "60 Minutes" -- none of that happened. January 28, 2008

Iran & Bush's Crisis of Truth As the time on his presidency ticks down, George W. Bush is still trying to stoke the fires of confrontation with Iran, relying on his signature mix of bellicosity and self-righteousness. In this guest essay, Peter Dyer looks at Bush's new push in the context of his old lies. January 26, 2008

The Global Economy's 'Lame Duck' The American sub-prime financial scandal continues to reverberate through U.S. equity markets, sending after-shocks across Europe and Asia. In this guest essay, Pablo Ouziel examines the chances that abuses in the U.S. economy could spark a worldwide recession. January 24, 2008

Iraq War: 1,760 Days and Counting Sen. John McCain may have stunned some Americans with his projection that the U.S. occupation of Iraq may last 100 years or more. But the political pressures in Washington can make ending a war harder than starting one. In this guest essay, Robert Higgs discusses what it might take to bring the troops home. January 17, 2008

A Surge of More Lies The "success" of George W. Bush's Iraq War "surge" has become an article of faith in Official Washington, with the Washington Post's editorial board and the New York Times' new columnist William Kristol baiting Democrats to get on board. Given this consensus, we are publishing a dissenting view from Congressman Robert Wexler. January 16, 2008

Will Anyone Pay for the Iraq War? With John McCain and Hillary Clinton as the presidential front-runners -- and with major U.S. newspapers giving high-profile jobs to neocon writers -- it looks increasingly like no one will be held seriously accountable for the disastrous Iraq War. President Bush is even on what looks like a self-proclaimed victory tour for his "surge" strategy. January 15, 2008

CIA, Iran & the Gulf of Tonkin George W. Bush's warning to Iran after a confusing incident involving U.S. ships and Iranian speedboats in the Strait of Hormuz is reviving memories of a fateful 1964 confrontation in North Vietnam's Gulf of Tonkin. Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern writes that U.S. intelligence should have spoken truth to power then -- as it must now. January 12, 2008

Bush, Georgia & Authoritarianism Today's election in the former Soviet republic of Georgia is shaping up as a test for the durability of democratic reforms in central Asia -- and whether George W. Bush's double standards on democratic principles at home will undercut his "democracy promotion" abroad. January 5, 2008

Readers' Comments A selection of recent reader comments about articles. January 1, 2008

Hillary Signals Free Pass for Bush Former President Bill Clinton's comment that his wife's "first thing" as President would be to send him and former President George H.W. Bush on a worldwide fence-mending tour has a political subtext. It signals that a second Clinton administration would give a free pass to the second Bush administration on its abuses. December 31, 2007

Pakistan Is 'Central Front,' Not Iraq Benazir Bhutto is the latest victim of the deadly mix of George W. Bush's wishful thinking and his obsession with Iraq. U.S. officials encouraged the former Pakistani prime minister to return to her homeland to help counter Islamic extremists when there was no way the over-stretched U.S. intelligence agencies could give her much protection. December 28, 2007

Where Are U.S. Democracy's Heroes? Benazir Bhutto's assassination underscores the dangers that democracy advocates face around the world -- and the relative cowardice of Washington politicians who sign off on disastrous policies rather than risk a few points in the polls. In this guest essay, Brent Budowsky laments the lack of pro-democracy heroes in the U.S. December 29, 2007

Creeping Fascism: History's Lessons In the 1930s, young German lawyer/writer Sebastian Haffner chronicled the acquiescence of his country's liberal politicians to Adolf Hitler's rise, including new laws that allowed spying on Germans in the name of security. On the 100th anniversary of Haffner's birth, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern sees troubling parallels to today. December 27, 2007

A Society on Steroids Americans like to think of themselves as people who believe in fair play -- in sports or other endeavors -- but the reality often is that respect goes to the guy who wins, regardless of method. In this guest essay, Bill Moyers reflects on baseball's steroid scandal. December 21, 2007

Jim Bouton Responds to Moyers Jim Bouton, a former New York Yankees pitcher and author of Ball Four, responds to Bill Moyers's guest essay on steroids. December 22, 2007

Media Is the Key to Democracy A new Democratic reason for not holding George W. Bush and Dick Cheney accountable is that the Washington press corps would react to impeachment with hostility and ridicule. While no excuse for their timidity, the Democrats do have a point: the careerist U.S. news media has become a threat to the Republic. December 20, 2007

Bush's Torture Policy Is a Cancer U.S. government officials must go through verbal gymnastics to avoid implicating George W. Bush in an obvious crime: the authorization of torture. In this guest essay, Brent Budowsky warns that this cancerous situation is now endangering U.S. troops. December 18, 2007

Readers' Comments Readers had some fascinating comments about articles we have posted over the past couple of weeks. December 16, 2007

Surprise! Mukasey Covers Up Torture Congressional Democrats appear to have been snookered again. Last month, they tossed enough votes to Michael Mukasey to make him Attorney General -- and he is now paying them back by obstructing their oversight investigations of George W. Bush's torture policies. Their inquiries are "politics," Mukasey says. December 15, 2007

Special Prosecutor Needed on Torture The evidence now is that President Bush authorized torture of al-Qaeda suspects and that senior members of Congress -- both Republicans and Democrats -- either supported or acquiesced to these criminal acts. In this guest essay, Brent Budowsky says the troubling facts require a special prosecutor to ascertain the full truth. December 15, 2007

Mobile Labs to Target Iraqis for Death Early in 2008, U.S. forces in Iraq will have mobile labs for instantaneously checking biometric data on any captured Iraqi suspect before deciding whether to "let him go, keep him or shoot him on the spot," a top Pentagon weapons designer says. Satellite hook-ups will access data stored in West Virginia on more than one million Iraqis. December 13, 2007

Are Americans 'Better Than That'? Waterboarding is back on center stage in Washington as the CIA explains why it destroyed prisoner videotapes, President Bush keeps insisting he doesn't do torture, and Democrats mutter excuses about why they didn't object. With this troubling backdrop, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern asks whether Americans are "better than that"? December 12, 2007bbb

America as a Prisoner of Primacy George W. Bush has embraced the notion of a permanent U.S. military dominance across the globe, a concept so ambitious and extravagant that it invites the opposite result, a precipitous American decline. Yet, Bush's dangerous vision is a taboo topic for political debate, as Carl Conetta notes in this guest essay. December 10, 2007

Bush Spins Iran's Centrifuges Stunned by a U.S. intelligence assessment that Iran hasn't been pursuing nuclear weapons for years, the Bush administration and its media allies are trying to figure out new ways to spin public opinion toward an attack on Iran. Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern looks at how this P.R. war-gaming is being played. December 8, 2007

Neocons Down, Not Out The new National Intelligence Estimate, which says Iran scrapped its nuclear weapons program four years ago, was a body blow to neocons who hoped George W. Bush would bomb Iran before leaving office. But the neocons have faced disappointments before -- and they often get bailed out by friendly Democrats. December 6, 2007

A Miracle: Honest Intel on Iran Nukes After a 10-month struggle, U.S. intelligence analysts pushed out an assessment of Iran's nuclear weapons program that contradicts the dire claims of Dick Cheney and George W. Bush. As former CIA analyst Ray McGovern reports, the new intelligence estimate found that Iran shut down its weapons program four years ago. December 3, 2007

Needed Now: Spirit of the Sixties Official Washington's view of the Sixties is that it was a dreadful time whose rebelliousness has taken decades to squeeze from the population's psyche. Now, as the Bush administration readies Americans to accept their place in a grim Brave New World, guest essayist Vincent L. Guarisco argues that it's time for a Sixties revival. December 3, 2007

Thank You, John Nirenberg Despite disdain from insiders in Washington, a citizens' movement to hold George W. Bush and Dick Cheney accountable through impeachment continues to reverberate across the country. In this guest essay, Emily West thanks one determined American who has started a walk for impeachment from Boston to the nation's capital. December 3, 2007

How to Get a Real Mideast Peace If the key players were serious, there are strategies that might help bring about a meaningful peace deal between Israel and its Arab neighbors. But progress, after the Annapolis summit, would require different political dynamics in the Middle East -- and in Washington. November 29, 2007

Freeze Foreclosures, Fix Energy Mess The United States is facing two inter-related challenges, spiraling home foreclosures and spiraling energy costs. In this guest essay, Brent Budowsky urges emergency action on both fronts to save millions of Americans from a very cold winter. November 28, 2007

The 'Triumphant' Neocons Citing signs of military progress in Iraq, U.S. neoconservatives are claiming vindication for their vision of violently remaking the Middle East. And with an eye to influencing Campaign 2008, the neocons are again baiting Democratic war critics as defeatists. November 27, 2007

Readers' Comments A selection of reader comments on recent articles. November 27, 2007

The Bush Rules of Evidence For decades, the Bush family has operated above the law, using powerful connections in the Eastern Establishment and the Republican Right to brush aside evidence that would land lesser Americans in jail. The latest example is how George W. Bush has skated away from proof that he broke the law in the Plame-gate affair. November 24, 2007

The Triumph of Crackpot Realism Despite some setbacks in Iraq, the U.S. foreign policy establishment is still enamored of America's imperial mission around the globe, even unveiling new and ambitious plans. In this guest essay, Robert Higgs looks at the reality-defying triumph of "crackpot realism." November 23, 2007

Thanksgiving in the Two Americas Thanksgiving marks the start of the holiday season, when the chasm between America's haves and have-nots becomes most obvious. In this guest essay, Brent Budowsky offers thanks for what's best in America and regret for the times the nation falls short of its ideals. November 22, 2007

Bush's Plame-gate Cover-up With a new disclosure from an ex-White House press secretary, the evidence builds that George W. Bush participated in a criminal cover-up of the White House role in leaking Valerie Plame Wilson's covert CIA identity. Now, what can the Democrats do? November 21, 2007

Iraq's Laboratory of Repression American neocons are hailing security gains in Iraq, crediting George W. Bush's "surge" and baiting Democrats again as defeatists. But in the latest upbeat stories, what gets short-shrift is how high-tech strategies are making Iraq a test tube for modern repression. November 20, 2007

U.S. Helps Push Pakistan to the Brink The neoconservative vision of making the Middle East conform to U.S. strategic interests is turning into an unspeakable nightmare as nuclear-armed Pakistan teeters on the brink. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland looks at Washington's role in creating the mess. November 17, 2007

Bush's Clever Cognitive Dissonance George W. Bush has proven to be the master of cognitive dissonance, unblushingly asserting principles at odds with his actions. The President showed off his skills before the right-wing Federalist Society, presenting himself as the grand defender of the Constitution. November 16, 2007

Bush's Favorite Lie George W. Bush has told a stunning number of lies about the Iraq War and the "war on terror." But some seem to be his particular favorites, like the one about Saddam Hussein's WMD defiance that Bush retold while standing next to French President Nicolas Sarkozy. November 9, 2007

The Truth Behind 'Lions for Lambs' The Washington Post is predictably panning Robert Redford's "Lions for Lambs" because it poses tough moral questions about the neocon agenda. In this guest review, historian Lisa Pease finds the movie compelling for those same reasons. November 9, 2007

Democrats Surrender on Torture In a hasty Senate vote, Democrats caved in once again, approving Michael Mukasey for Attorney General despite his refusal to admit that waterboarding is torture. In this guest essay, Brent Budowsky laments the latest sell-out. November 9, 2007

Democrats' Year of Living Fecklessly One year ago, Democrats won control of Congress, stirring hopes across the country that the Iraq War might end and George W. Bush's arrogant governing style would be checked. But Democratic leaders have failed to stand up to Bush in a year of living fecklessly. November 7, 2007

Intel Vets Make 'Waterboarding' Appeal Michael Mukasey refuses to acknowledge that "waterboarding" -- a simulated drowning technique that dates back to the Inquisition -- constitutes torture. Nevertheless, the Democratic-controlled Senate is on course to confirm him as Attorney General. In this memo, 24 U.S. intelligence veterans appeal to the Senate Judiciary Committee to insist on a straight answer from Mukasey. November 5, 2007

Iraq's Early Vietnam Moment Four years ago -- on Nov. 2, 2003 -- a U.S. helicopter was shot down over Iraq, killing 16 U.S. troops, an early "Vietnam moment" in what was emerging as a powerful Iraqi insurgency. The incident helped convince a newly organized group of former U.S. ingelligence officers that the Iraq War was unwinnable. November 3, 2007

Time to Apologize to Plame/Wilson Washington power centers -- from the White House to the Washington Post's editorial board -- have misrepresented key facts in the "Plame-gate" affair from the beginning. Now, with publication of former CIA officer Valerie Plame Wilson's memoir, it's even clearer how wrong the powerful were and how much they have to apologize for. October 31, 2007

Attacking Iran for Israel? The Bush administration and the Israeli government are on the same page about the urgent need to neutralize Iran's nuclear facilities. But former CIA analyst Ray McGovern wonders whose interests are at the forefront of this impending conflict. October 30, 2007

Bush's Free-Fire Zones Frustrated by the insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan, George W. Bush has unleashed U.S. forces to strike at suspected enemy positions with fierce firepower, even in populated areas. Two recent cases in Iraq reveal how civilians often end up as the victims -- and how brutal lessons of Vietnam are being applied to these new wars. October 25, 2007

U.S. Double Standards for Friend/Foe Is it fair and balanced for the Bush administration to help Turkey deny responsibility for the Armenian genocide, while whipping up war fever against Iran because its president questions the historical accuracy of the Nazi genocide against the Jews? In this guest essay, Ivan Eland calls for equal standards on all human rights violations. October 24, 2007

Bush's Heated 'World War III' Rhetoric War clouds are building over Iran, with hard-liners pressing for air attacks. George W. Bush added his own ominous thunder with a public warning about "World War III." In this guest essay, Brent Budowsky says matters soon may get out of hand. October 23, 2007

Bush's Spying Hits Americans Abroad The Bush administration's angry reaction to a seemingly innocuous amendment to a surveillance bill suggests that a little-noticed goal of last August's "Protect America Act" was to authorize spying on Americans who venture abroad. Key Republicans denounced the amendment to restrict George W. Bush's authority as unacceptable. October 19, 2007

How Best to Partition Iraq Far from the pre-war wishful thinking about easy regime change in Iraq, George W. Bush's invasion released dangerous forces, including vengeful ethnic and sectarian rivalries that have ripped the country even further apart. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland looks at the logic behind the Senate resolution calling for a de facto partitioning. October 22, 2007

MSM Buries Military Dissent on Iraq The mainstream media (or MSM) continues with its double standard for opinions about the Iraq War. Just like five years ago, when Congress granted George W. Bush authority to invade Iraq, pro-war articles are preferred; anti-war articles -- even when written by people with military experience -- get shunted to the side. This week, the Washington Post accepted one critical article by 12 former captains who served in Iraq but only published it on the newspaper's Web site. October 17, 2007

NSA Spying: What Did Pelosi Know? According to new revelations from telecommunications company Qwest, the origins of the Bush administration's warrantless wiretap program predated the 9/11 attacks by seven months. That would mean the terror attacks became a convenient post-facto rationalization for what the White House already wanted to do. But -- former CIA analyst Ray McGovern asks -- what did Nancy Pelosi and other senior Democrats know then and what will they do about it now? October 15, 2007

Ex-Commander Blasts Iraq 'Nightmare' The U.S. commander in Iraq for the first year of the occupation lambasted George W. Bush's national security team for "incompetence" that created an endless "nightmare." Breaking almost a year of silence since leaving the Army, retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez lashed out at almost everyone associated with the debacle. He even acknowledged that the U.S. high command displayed "an absolute lack of moral courage" in acquiescing to the poorly planned war. October 12, 2007

Democrats Signal New Spying Cave-in Despite promises to resist extending broad spying powers for President Bush, congressional Democrats appear to be crumbling under the same fear of being labeled "soft on terror" that prevailed during a cave-in just before the August recess. Indeed, Senate Democrats may be on the verge of another major concession, granting legal amnesty to telecommunications companies that assisted the Bush administration in its earlier warrantless wiretapping. October 9, 2007

Why Not Impeachment? After the new disclosure that the Bush administration misled Congress and the public about its secret torture policies, one question that begs to be asked is: why not impeachment of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, finally? For the past year, Democratic leaders have ruled the question "off the table," but their strategy of seeking bipartisanship to end the Iraq War obviously has failed. So, the hard choice may be either to start impeachment proceedings or accept that the United States is no longer a Republic governed by the rule of law. October 5, 2007

The Clintons and the Bushes After entering the White House in 1993, Bill Clinton helped sweep under the rug major geopolitical scandals implicating his predecessor, George H.W. Bush. Clinton apparently thought his gesture of bipartisanship would be reciprocated. Instead it only encouraged Republican attacks on him and led to the eventual restoration of the Bush family dynasty. Now, with Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton's tempted by the same misguided "pragmatism," we are posting the entire first chapter of Robert Parry's 2004 book, Secrecy & Privilege. October 3, 2007

The Who's Your Daddy Nation The bullying con game that passes for Establishment power in the United States appears finally to be reaching a painful end point, even though few Americans have a clear idea how to start setting matters right. In this guest essay, poet Phil Rockstroh looks at the extraordinary challenge facing a people who have traded their birthright as citizens of a Republic for the faux security of a "who's your daddy" nation. October 2, 2007

Forgetting Gandhi For an America trapped in George W. Bush's endless "war on terror," the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, the great disciple of non-violence, might sound simultaneously jarring and alluring. In this guest essay on the anniversary of Gandhi's birth, writer Pablo Ouziel recalls Gandhi's enduring message about the evils of violence. October 2, 2007

Bush's Global 'Dirty War' For years, there have been whispers in the U.S. intelligence community that George W. Bush has been transforming his "global war on terror" into an international "dirty war." But now two U.S. military investigations have revealed that the chain of command has approved rules of engagement that let elite American military units kill Iraqis and Afghanis on mere suspicion that they may be "enemy combatants." October 1, 2007

Bush, Ahmadinejad & Authoritarianism In an objective world, U.S. President George W. Bush and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad could be finalists in a competition of stupid remarks by major international leaders. But in a measure of how far the United States has slipped into an authoritarian paradigm, the U.S. media heaped vitriol on Ahmadinejad during his UN visit but kept silent about Bush's hypocrisy when he presented himself as the champion for inalienable human rights. September 28, 2007

Hillary Prods Bush to Go After Iran Hillary Clinton and 75 other senators apparently feel that George W. Bush hasn't been belligerent enough toward Iran. They want him to hurry up and label a large part of Iran's army an international "terrorist" entity for allegedly supplying Iraqi insurgents with bombs that have killed American troops. Despite a warning from Sen. Jim Webb that the Senate vote could be read as another war resolution, Democratic presidential hopeful Clinton jumped onboard the bandwagon, again. September 28, 2007

Bush, Oil -- and Moral Bankruptcy Behind the bloody war in Iraq and the looming war with Iran is an amoral determination by the Bush administration to dominate the region's vast oil reserves. As much as George W. Bush's defenders deny this fact, the truth continues to seep out. In this guest essay, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern explores the policy's moral bankruptcy. September 27, 2007

Daniel Ellsberg: 'A Coup Has Occurred' In a remarkable speech, Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg warns that the United States will complete its slide into a "police state" if President Bush goes ahead with a war on Iran. Referring to Bush's steady accumulation of power over the past six years, Ellsberg said, "a coup has occurred" and would be solidified by the crisis of an expanded war in the Middle East. To stop this, he urges government officials to live up to their oath of office and defend the Constitution. September 26, 2007

Readers React to Ellsberg Speech Readers had a variety of reactions to Daniel Ellsberg's speech, including whether the coup should be dated from 12/12/00 -- the date five Republicans on the U.S. Supreme Court gave the White House to George W. Bush -- or 9/11/01. September 27, 2007

Bush to World: Up Is Down In his annual address to the United Nations, George W. Bush portrayed himself as the great defender of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, even as he asserts his unlimited power to kill, imprison, torture or spy on anyone he wants anywhere in the world without due process. The U.S. President seems to be looking at the world through a prism that turns everything upside down. And he acts as if those who don't see things his way are either evil or blind. September 25, 2007

The Left's Media Miscalculation (Redux) MoveOn's "General Betray Us" debacle -- costing the anti-Iraq War movement $142,000 on the ad and lost political momentum in Congress -- underscores again the power and value of the Right's media machine. It can make small mistakes by opponents big and big mistakes by allies small. In recognition of this hard reality, we are reprising a special report, first published on April 29, 2005, explaining how this dangerous media asymmetry developed. September 25, 2007

MoveOn & Media Double Standards The New York Times has joined in pummeling MoveOn.org, with a top editor faulting his newspaper for violating a ban on negative personal attack ads. The editor says, too, MoveOn should have paid more than double for the "General Betray Us" ad. In response, MoveOn is writing a check for another $77,000 to the Times in a perverse case of negative bang for the buck. Plus, in a show of double standards, the Times runs a right-wing ad entitled "Ahmadinejad Is a Terrorist." September 24, 2007

Hard Lessons from MoveOn Fiasco Republicans scored political points and diverted the debate on the Iraq War by concentrating media fire on MoveOn.org's silly "General Betray Us" ad. But the underlying lesson is that the Right's powerful media apparatus -- built over the past three decades with many billions of dollars -- can transform any misstep by the Left into a major national issue. Meanwhile, the Left continues to shun the need for a media infrastructure that can restore some balance to the U.S. political process. September 22, 2007

George W. Bush's Thug Nation At home and abroad, the United States is starting to look like a thug nation, reflecting George W. Bush's worst personality traits. His renowned intolerance of dissent shows up when protesters are "taken down" or a college students gets tasered for asking an impolite question. Bush's disdain for the rule of law pops up in the trigger-happy ways of Blackwater mercenaries in Iraq and in "rules of engagement" for murdering Muslims labeled "enemy combatants." September 21, 2007

The Right's Garden of False Narratives At the core of the rot destroying the American Republic are the many false narratives that have replaced the nation's real history. The Right has proved adept at creating these alluring story lines and selling them through a sophisticated media apparatus, while the mainstream press goes silent or plays along. In this guest essay, poet Phil Rockstroh explores what false reality can do to a nation. September 20, 2007

Why Cheney Likes Mukasey for A.G. Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey was not the top choice of "movement conservatives" who want their social agenda pushed. But he is favored by Vice President Dick Cheney because Mukasey, as a federal judge, endorsed the post-9/11 agenda of stripping suspect Muslims of constitutional rights. Or, as Cheney put it, Mukasey will defend "the freedom from fear of terrorist attacks." September 19, 2007

Halfway Measures on Bush's Tribunals The Senate finally is moving to debate George W. Bush's military tribunal system, albeit only to reconsider one feature, its elimination of habeas corpus rights for foreigners. But neither Congress nor the major U.S. news media seems to understand that some little-noticed features near the end of the law could put U.S. citizens before the tribunals which abrogate other rights guaranteed by the Constitution. September 18, 2007

Readers' Comments Because of the press of so much news, we've fallen behind in our regular featuring of readers' comments. Here is a selection of reactions to stories that have appeared over the past few weeks. September 18, 2007

Al-Qaeda's Goal: See for Yourself Again and again, George W. Bush gets away with claiming that al-Qaeda's goal is to "drive us out" of Iraq -- despite the fact that U.S. intelligence intercepted a high-level al-Qaeda communique stating the opposite. According to the document, al-Qaeda's real goal is "prolonging" the U.S. military occupation. You can see the document yourself and forward it on to members of Congress. September 17, 2007

Greenspan Spills the Beans on Oil A sure-fire way to get a backer of the Iraq War angry is to suggest that George W. Bush ordered the invasion to get control of Iraq's vast oil reserves, rather than for noble motivations -- eliminating WMD, fighting terrorism or spreading democracy. But former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan spilled the beans in his memoirs, writing: "the Iraq War is largely about oil." In this special report, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern looks at the evidence that Greenspan is right. September 16, 2007

Bush's War Without EndIn a nationally televised speech, George W. Bush laid out his vision for an indefinite military occupation of Iraq, essentially a war without end. But the premier American newspapers followed the President's bidding and published headlines stressing his plan for modest troop cuts over the next year, albeit leaving more American soldiers in Iraq than there were at the start of 2007. Busy Americans just glancing at the headlines will likely miss this more important point. September 14, 2007

Petraeus & the 'Central Front' Myth Gen. David Petraeus echoed many of George W. Bush's dubious arguments for fighting an open-ended war in Iraq, including the emotional appeal that al-Qaeda sees Iraq as the "central front" in its global jihad and wants to drive the Americans out in humiliation. But the intelligence data actually points to a near-opposite conclusion: that al-Qaeda sees Iraq as a diversion for the United States and wants to keep American forces bogged down there for the foreseeable future. September 12, 2007

Neck Deep: The Real 9/11 ScandalAs George W. Bush tries to squeeze 16 more months of political advantage from America's 9/11 memories, it is worth recalling how different history might have been had the Bush administration heeded intelligence warnings in the summer of 2001. That reality is reprised in this excerpt from the new book, Neck Deep. September 11, 2007

'Swear Him In' Provokes ExpulsionHouse Democrats were on edge over any possible affront to Gen. David Petraeus during his Iraq War testimony. So much so that when former CIA officer Ray McGovern made the vocal suggestion -- during a technical delay to fix a microphone -- that the witness be sworn in, McGovern was forced to leave the hearing room. In this first-person account, McGovern notes that Petraeus then gave his pro-escalation testimony without ever swearing to tell the whole truth. September 10, 2007

Bush 'Kicking Ass' in Congress Congressional Democrats already are signaling the terms of their next surrender on Iraq War funding, with one strategist telling a Washington Post columnist that the Democrats should just say "yes" to an expected symbolic gesture on troop withdrawals. That, however, would leave about 37,000 more troops in Iraq than when the Democrats rode anti-war sentiment to their majorities last November. George W. Bush may say "we're kicking ass" in Iraq, but the pithy comment could apply more to what he's doing to the Democrats in Congress. September 10, 2007

Bush-Bin Laden Symbiosis RebornGeorge W. Bush quickly pounced on Osama bin Laden's new videotape, claiming that it proves al-Qaeda wants to "drive us out" of Iraq. Bin Laden's criticism of Democrats for failing to act on troop withdrawal also plays to Bush's advantage. Which means that the Bush-bin Laden symbiosis is alive and well, since what bin Laden really wants is to keep America bogged down in Iraq indefinitely. September 8, 2007

Is Petraeus Today's Westmoreland?Official Washington is awaiting the Iraq War assessment of Gen. David Petraeus, though it's clear he will tout progress in line with President George W. Bush's pro-surge rhetoric. The Petraeus team in Baghdad already is massaging the numbers, much like another ambitious commander did four decades ago. In this Vietnam flashback, veteran intelligence analyst Ray McGovern notes the parallels between Petraeus and Gen. William Westmoreland. September 7, 2007

Bowing Before an American TyrannyIn the six years since the 9/11 attacks, George W. Bush has transformed the United States from an imperfect Republic into a New Age authoritarian state. He has managed to eliminate many of the Constitution's inalienable rights even while proclaiming his love of liberty. A new book by former Assistant Attorney General Jack Goldsmith provides an inside look at how Bush and his team crushed the legal traditions of the Republic while no one with sufficient clout dared to intervene. September 6, 2007

Neck Deep: The Real Colin PowellInstead of working to end the Iraq War, which he helped launch with a deceptive speech at the U.N., Colin Powell is cashing in again on his name and government service. The retired general and former Secretary of State is getting star billing at a full-day motivational seminar with a speech on "take-charge leadership." None of this crass careerism would surprise you if you had read the chapter in Neck Deep on Colin Powell's real history. September 6, 2007

Questions for General Petraeus As part of his strategy of "playing for" time on the Iraq War, George W. Bush has demanded that Official Washington wait until his hand-picked field general, David Petraeus, gets to speak at hearings now set for next week. In this guest essay, former Democratic congressional staffer Brent Budowsky suggests some questions that go beyond the predictable queries about Bush's troop "surge." September 6, 2007

How VIPs Get 'Brainwashed' on IraqAs Congress returns to session, George W. Bush is pressing his P.R. offensive on behalf of his troop "surge" in Iraq. Like many members of Congress and Washington pundits, President Bush even made a personal visit to Anbar province to tout his successes. But is there real progress occurring or is this just a modern version of what the late Gov. George Romney called "brainwashing" when he got a similar tour of Vietnam four decades ago? September 4, 2007

Warner for 'Caretaker' President? Insider Washington is wondering who might be appointed as the "caretaker" senator to fill Larry Craig's Senate seat now that the Idaho Republican has resigned in a sex scandal. But still off the table is any talk of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney stepping down for replacement by a "caretaker" president who could bring the Iraq War to an end. Having declined to seek re-election, Virginia Republican Sen. John Warner might be a good choice for that job. September 2, 2007

Iraq's Endless 'False Hopes' One constant in the Iraq War has been the steady supply of "false hopes," one replacing another, starting with the expected "cake walk" and continuing through to the supposed success of George W. Bush's "surge." However, this latest turning point is clashing with an earlier turning point, the January 2005 election. Some neoconservative pundits, who hailed the election two-and-a-half years ago, now say its results must be overturned so the surge can fulfill its potential. September 1, 2007

Bush Puts Iran in Crosshairs In a speech this week, George W. Bush introduced what looks like the administration's new "product" for the fall season: war with Iran. Much like Vice President Dick Cheney did with a similar late-August
address on Iraq in 2002, President Bush laid out the framework and rationale for going to war. In this special report, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern dissects Bush's latest bellicose rhetoric. August 30, 2007

Bush & the Carnage in Iraq By pointing to every silver lining in the very dark cloud of Iraq -- and warning that even worse storms might be forming just over the horizon -- George W. Bush seems on his way to winning more money for his Iraq War. But, in this guest essay, Robert Higgs warns that reality on the ground can't be so easily spun. August 30, 2007

Neck Deep: Drowning Accountability Two years ago this week, Hurricane Katrina ravaged the great American city of New Orleans and killed some 1,800 people along the Gulf Coast. With that tragedy, however, came a belated public awakening about how George W. Bush had put cronyism, ideology and partisanship ahead of competence, national unity and accountability. In this excerpt from our new book, Neck Deep, that turning point is recalled. August 29, 2007

Favorite Memory: Gonzo on Habeas As Alberto Gonzales steps down as Attorney General, many Americans are reflecting on their favorite memories: his endless "do not recalls"; his carefully parsed definitions of torture; his knocks on the Geneva Conventions as "quaint" and "obsolete." But another revealing moment was when he observed that the Founders didn't explicitly put habeas corpus fair-trial rights into the Constitution. August 28, 2007

Army Adds Farce to Abu Ghraib Shame The Army is conducting the first -- and presumably only -- court-martial of an officer implicated in the Abu Ghraib torture scandal. But the trial has been noteworthy more for dropping serious charges than for demanding accountability from a higher-up. In this first-person account, former Abu Ghraib intelligence analyst Sam Provance sees the proceedings as just the latest chapter in an ongoing cover-up. August 27, 2007

Neck Deep Secret: Gore Was Right One of the surprising twists of our new book, Neck Deep, is how often Al Gore emerged from his semi-seclusion over the past six years to issue prescient warnings about George W. Bush's course of action. Again and again, his alarms were ignored or mocked by the major news media and the powers-that-be. He was less the "Goracle," as his admirers call him, than a modern-day Cassandra. August 27, 2007

Bob Gates on the Iraq War Hot Seat The disclosure that the Pentagon's Joint Chiefs of Staff favor a sharp drawdown in U.S. forces in Iraq next year puts Defense Secretary Robert Gates on the hot seat. Either he must side with the top brass -- and Iraq War critics in Congress -- or he must stand with President George W. Bush and the "continue-the-surge" advocates. In this latest Vietnam War analogy, Gates must decide if he wants to play the role of Defense Secretary Clark Clifford, who persuaded President Lyndon Johnson to begin the painful withdrawal from Vietnam. August 24, 2007

Bush's Bogus Vietnam History Kills To secure another Iraq War blank check, George W. Bush is conjuring up the specter of the Vietnam War, arguing that the U.S. withdrawal caused the human horrors, not the original intervention. Bush airbrushed out of this history the bloodbath caused by U.S. bombings and other massive firepower. One is left wondering what might have happened if Bush had been Commander in Chief three decades ago. But the danger today is what this selective history might mean for Iraq. August 23, 2007

If the Democrats Want to Lose... Far from the high hopes of last November, congressional Democrats are in disarray and retreat. Their leaders have repeated many of the same mistakes of 2002, surrendering both on George W. Bush's demands for more "war on terror" powers and blank checks for the Iraq War. The hard truth for Democrats is that the political dynamics of Washington have changed little over the past five years -- and that reality could undermine their chances in Election 2008. August 22, 2007

Many Democrats Wrong on Iraq, Again Before leaving for an August recess, the Democratic congressional leaders vowed to return with renewed determination to challenge George W. Bush on his Iraq War policy and his extraordinary claims of presidential power. Now, however, they are signaling another round of posturing and equivocation. In this guest essay, Brent Budowsky challenges the party's Washington establishment to finally act on principle. August 22, 2007

Bush's New War Drums for Iran From the White House to the Washington Post's editorial page, the war drums are beating again, this time for Iran. In this special report, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern writes that George W. Bush's plan to label Iran's Revolutionary Guard a "specially designated global terrorist" organization appears to be the new casus belli. The White House insists that Iran is helping Shiite militias in Iraq attack American troops. And the Post, which was gung-ho for invading Iraq over its WMD, now is calling for severe retaliation against Iran. August 21, 2007

NYPD's Homegrown Hysteria In an influential new report, the New York Police Department advocates more surveillance and preemptive action against young American Muslims who might be radicalized by reading jihadist Web sites. The report also dovetails with the latest Bush administration policies for greater domestic spying. But civil libertarians complain that the report feeds a public hysteria against a specific group of Americans, not even for they've done but what they might do. August 20, 2007

Bush Fails Upward in 'War on Terror' George W. Bush sees himself as a dedicated free-marketeer hailing the genius of the markets in eliminating incompetence and inefficiency, except when those tough standards are applied to him. Throughout his adult life, Bush has failed upwards -- and that trend is continuing through his presidency. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland examines how Bush's "war on terror" blunders have brought him only more power. August 19, 2007

My Fellow Texan While working on his father's 1988 campaign, George W. Bush read an internal memo about how to manipulate Christian evangelicals for political gain. Then with the help of Karl Rove, Bush put the plan into practice. In this guest essay, Bill Moyers reflects on the legacy of his fellow Texan and Bush's political guru, Karl Rove. August 18, 2007

Rumsfeld's Mysterious Resignation For nine months, the Bush administration went to great lengths to hide what would seem to be an innocuous secret, the fact that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was forced out of his job the day before the November election, not the day after. The significance of the secret appears to be that Rumsfeld got the ax the same day he wrote a secret memo suggesting a de-escalation of the Iraq War -- when George W. Bush already had decided to escalate. August 17, 2007

Saudi Arabia's Myth of Moderation Though the Bush administration blames Iran for "terrorism" in Iraq and elsewhere, the evidence of violent meddling is actually stronger against U.S. ally, Saudi Arabia. Still, the administration and the U.S. press corps routinely describe the oil-rich kingdom as "moderate" and a friend of "reform." In reality, however, Saudi Arabia's mix of religious extremism and political repression has made it a breeding ground for the likes of Osama bin Laden and scores of suicide bombers. August 17, 2007

Democrats Need 'Conviction Politics' Karl Rove's resignation may mark a significant personnel change in George W. Bush's inner circle, but it doesn't mean a reversal of the Bush-Rove strategy for amassing presidential power and seeking continued Republican domination of the U.S. government. In this guest essay, Brent Budowsky writes that to counter that, the Democrats need their own "conviction politics" that is equally strong-willed. August 15, 2007

Congress's Orwellian Compromise When congressional Democratic leaders permitted the hasty passage of a bill granting George W. Bush new spying authority, they dashed the hopes of many Americans that last November's Democratic victory would put a stop to Bush's assault on the Constitution. Now, it is clear that while the Democrats may conduct more oversight hearings than the Republicans did, they are not likely to face Bush down over his abuse of presidential powers or his war in Iraq. August 15, 2007

A Disneyland of Militant Ignorance Perhaps the gravest threat to America's future is the nation's systemic failure to face reality, reaching from the political class to the news media to large segments of the public. In this guest essay, poet Phil Rockstroh examines some of the false narratives that have helped build America's dangerously militaristic society. August 14, 2007

New Spy Law Broader Than Thought The U.S. press corps initially bought into White House spin that George W. Bush's new spying law was "narrowly" written to fix a legal glitch that let foreign terrorists escape monitoring. But the law actually covers pretty much anyone who may have foreign policy information that the U.S. government wants. Bush's lawyers also slipped in a clause giving legal immunity to service providers that collaborate. August 13, 2007

Spinning the Iraq War Death Toll Some of George W. Bush's supporters are hailing the fact that in July, only 80 American troops were killed in Iraq, down from triple-digit numbers the preceding three months. They see it as a sign that Bush's "surge" is working. But military and intelligence sources say other factors explain the downturn, including a decision by U.S. commanders to cut back on aggressive ground operations to reduce the political backlash over rising casualties, not to mention the brutal heat. August 10, 2007

Bush, Colombia & Narco-Politics A spreading political scandal in Colombia, linking narco-funded death squads to President Alvaro Uribe's inner circle, is complicating George W. Bush's strategy of using Uribe's rightist government to counter Venezuela's leftist president Hugo Chavez. As more and more Colombian death squad leaders and cocaine traffickers come forward as part of a peace process, the stain gets closer to Uribe. But President Bush seems to have few regional options, since Uribe was the only South American leader to endorse Bush's invasion of Iraq. August 8, 2007

'Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death' In the hours before its August recess, Congress succumbed to pressure from the Bush administration and passed a loosely written law that effectively legalizes George W. Bush's previously illegal program of warrantless wiretaps. In this guest essay, Brent Budowsky takes Republican and Democratic leaders to task for their hasty action that impinges on the liberties of Americans. August 8, 2007

Bush Gets a Spying Blank Check Before rushing off for its August recess, Congress gave George W. Bush another blank check for spying on Americans and foreigners alike. The "Protect America Act of 2007" lets Bush order spying on anyone who is "reasonably believed to be outside the United States" -- language so vague that it presumably would cover Americans who travel to Canada or Europe. Though most Democrats opposed the bill, their leadership let it fly through to avoid "soft on terror" charges. August 5, 2007

Collapsing Bridges vs. War in Iraq The tragedy in Minnesota, as a collapsed bridge sent motorists to their deaths, is another reminder of the hidden costs of the $1 trillion Iraq War, reminiscent of how the federal government's neglect of the levees contributed to the inundation of New Orleans two years ago. In this guest essay, Stephen Crockett argues that the Bush administration's spending priorities are killing people in Iraq and at home. August 3, 2007

Bush's Secret Spying on Americans By asserting broad claims of secrecy in his domestic spying operations, George W. Bush has prevented a meaningful public debate over the proper balance between security and liberty. He's even made it impossible to evaluate whether Attorney General Alberto Gonzales willfully misled Congress. Yet the argument that the al-Qaeda threat justifies this secrecy doesn't hold water. The real targets of the secrecy -- and much of the spying -- appear to be the American people. August 2, 2007

Impeachment & the Constitution Once considered a fringe idea, impeachment is moving quickly into the mainstream of American public opinion, as George W. Bush and Dick Cheney insist on flouting the rule of law and defying congressional oversight. In this guest essay, Stephen Crockett casts the impeachment of Bush, Cheney and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales as not just an option but an imperative. July 31, 2007

The NYT's New Pro-War Propaganda The Bush administration is gearing up its Iraq War propaganda again, with the New York Times back in its role as credulous straight man. On its op-ed page, the Times published a pro-surge article by Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack, allowing the pair to present themselves as harsh critics of the Iraq War grudgingly won over by the promising facts on the ground. Left out of this happy tale of conversion was that O'Hanlon and Pollack have long favored a beefed-up occupation of Iraq. July 30, 2007

Dangers of a Cornered George Bush As the nation and the world face 18 more months of George W. Bush's presidency, a chilling prospect is that Bush -- confronted with more defeats -- might just "lose it" and undertake even more reckless military adventures. In this special memorandum, the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity collaborated with psychiatrist Justin Frank, author of Bush on the Couch, to assess the potential dangers and suggest possible countermeasures to constrain Bush. July 27, 2007

Iraq & the Non-Withdrawal Withdrawal Despite growing public calls for a U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq, the insiders of Washington are contemplating a long-term occupation, possibly by curtailing ground combat missions to minimize U.S. casualties. The thinking is that many Americans will accept an imperial U.S. role in the Middle East as long as the costs in U.S. dollars and U.S. dead are reduced. In this guest essay, media analyst Norman Solomon examines the subtle promotion of this goal by the American press. July 27, 2007

John Conyers Is No Martin Luther King Before Election 2006, many Democrats saw Congressman John Conyers as the old lion who finally would hold George W. Bush and Dick Cheney accountable, through impeachment if necessary. Instead, Conyers has shied away from that challenge and even had pro-impeachment demonstrators arrested at his office. In this guest essay, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern describes how Conyers has failed to live up to the heroic standards of Martin Luther King Jr. July 24, 2007

Neck Deep's 'Flap' Language Robert Parry writes, "Often, before buying a book, I like to read the 'flap' language, what's written on the dust jacket that folds inside the front and back covers." So, to read the "flap" language for Neck Deep: The Disastrous Presidency of George W. Bush, just click on the headline above. July 23, 2007

The Logic of Impeachment Even as George W. Bush thumbs his nose at constitutional checks and balances and the rule of law, Democratic leaders can't find the courage to utter the "I-word." But an unprecedented dual impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney may now be needed to protect America's legacy as a democratic Republic that upholds the twin principles that no man is above the law and everyone possesses inalienable rights. Millions of Americans are looking for some political leader who will dare step up and say, "Impeach the bastards." July 21, 2007

Bush Is al-Qaeda's Strategic Ally The new National Intelligence Estimate on the resurgent terrorist threat underscores not only the failure of George W. Bush's "war on terror" but how his arrogance and incompetence have made him al-Qaeda's most important strategic ally. The NIE confirms that the Iraq War has radicalized young Muslims and given al-Qaeda new life. This symbiotic relationship helps Bush, too, because a stronger al-Qaeda frightens many Americans so much they don't dare question the President. July 19, 2007

Bush's Wooden-headedness Kills Historian Barbara Tuchman famously recounted how the wooden-headedness of a leader could take an otherwise powerful country down a dangerous "march of folly" toward its own demise. But nothing she described exceeded the self-destructiveness of George W. Bush's "war on terror" and its consequences for the United States. In this guest essay, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern explains how Bush and his coterie of sycophants continue to lead the world's "superpower" down a path toward catastrophe. July 18, 2007

July 14, 2003: A Day of Infamy Four years ago on a single day, several events coincided that would mark a trail of deceit that the Bush administration and much of the Washington press corps have followed since. On that day, the Plame-gate scandal was born with Robert Novak's infamous column; warnings about politicized intelligence were spurned; and George W. Bush got away with rewriting the history of the Iraq War by stating that Saddam Hussein chose war when he refused to let U.N. inspectors in. July 14, 2007

Misreading Iraq, Again George W. Bush and his neoconservative allies have misread the reality in Iraq again and again over the past four-plus years. Now, with some signs of cooperation between U.S. commanders and Sunni tribal leaders, Bush and the neocons say they've finally got it right and Congress should back off on withdrawal deadlines. But the new evidence can be read the opposite from the Bush-neocon interpretation. Indeed, their view could give another helping hand to al-Qaeda. July 13, 2007

Readers' Comments Readers had comments on our articles about the New York Times and the Iraq War, the continuing press idiocy about Al Gore, the argument for impeachment, the Libby commutation and the judicial review of the Lockerbie verdict. July 9, 2007

Overstating Iraq Pullout Worries The disastrous Iraq War has left policymakers weighing what's worse: the current havoc or what might follow a U.S. military withdrawal. George W. Bush is pinning his hopes for continuing the war on convincing Americans that things could get much worse. In this guest essay, however, Ivan Eland argues that the dire predictions are overstated. July 11, 2007

Why They Really 'Hate Us' One of George W. Bush's key propaganda arguments for the Iraq War and other U.S. military interventions in the Middle East is that Islamists are on the offensive against the West -- and would "follow us home" if U.S. forces were withdrawn. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland contends that Bush and his neoconservative advisers have turned reality inside out, ignoring a key motive for Islamists: their perception that the United States has designs on Muslim lands. July 6, 2007

The Libby Cover-up Completed What the world is witnessing with George W. Bush's commutation of the jail sentence for former White House aide I. Lewis Libby is the completion of a four-year-old crime and cover-up -- events that implicated both President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. By sparing Libby any jail time and dangling the possibility of a future pardon, Bush is making sure that Libby stays mum and the full story behind the leaking of a covert CIA officer's identity will never be known. July 3, 2007

Unimpeachably Impeachable The evidence has now grown beyond a reasonable doubt: George W. Bush and Dick Cheney have committed impeachable offenses. In this guest essay, former CIA officer Ray McGovern writes that any lingering doubts in his mind were dispelled by a series in The Washington Post detailing Vice President Cheney's disdain for the law and the Constitution, with the buck also stopping on President Bush's desk. July 2, 2007

The New Bush-Blair Vanity Play The choice of ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair as a new envoy to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has officials on all sides scratching their heads. A question being asked across the Middle East is whether there's a method to this apparent madness, or is it just a vanity play by President George W. Bush and his pal, Blair? June 30, 2007

The Iraq-gate Cover-up Continues The U.S. news media is hailing the death sentences meted out to three of Saddam Hussein's top aides for their roles in chemical attacks against Iraqi Kurds in the 1980s. But the American press corps again is silent about long-standing evidence that the Reagan administration aided and abetted the Hussein regime as these crimes were committed. Hussein's hasty execution six months ago and the truncated Iraqi legal process also guaranteed that no new evidence emerged implicating George W. Bush's former and current defense secretaries or his father. June 25, 2007

Bush/Cheney or the Republic As more truth comes out about the past six years, the choice for Americans is boiling down to whether they still want to live in a Republic with inalienable rights or if they are so scared about terrorism that they are ready to sacrifice their rights to an all-powerful Executive. In this guest essay, radio host Stephen Crockett suggests the only way to save the Republic is to reject the idea that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney are above the law. June 25, 2007

Sen. Levin's False History & Logic Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin cites Congressman Abraham Lincoln's stance on the Mexican War 160 years ago to justify his own decision to keep funding the troops as long as the Iraq War goes on. But Levin's historical parallel to Lincoln is bogus as is his logic that the only way to end the Iraq War is to get Republicans to repudiate President George W. Bush on a withdrawal timetable. The Michigan Democrat's false reasoning only guarantees continued bloodshed. June 21, 2007

Readers React Readers reacted to our stories on Carl Levin's misuse of Abraham Lincoln; George W. Bush's thuggish treatment of those who get in his way; and Richard Cohen's standing among clueless columnists. June 22, 2007

Bush's Mafia Whacks the Republic Over the past half dozen years, George W. Bush has shifted the United States from its tradition as a Republic with inalienable rights into a new-age authoritarian state run more like the Mafia. Not only does Bush now assert his right to snatch people off the street and jail them without trial, but he reportedly has dispatched assassins around the world to eliminate perceived enemies. Bush also continues to purge honest officials who won't respect his omerta code of silence. June 20, 2007

Iraq War's Nuclear Boomerang George W. Bush still insists that toppling Saddam Hussein made the world safer. But the invasion of Iraq -- after it had disarmed and was cooperating with U.N. weapons inspectors -- sent a dangerous message. It spurred other Bush targets, such as North Korea and Iran, to accelerate their nuclear programs. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland says it's time for Bush to replace belligerence with realism. June 20, 2007

Readers' Comments Reactions to articles on the endangered American Republic and who's the most clueless columnist. June 20, 2007

How Not to Counter Terrorism Former FBI Special Agent Coleen Rowley and other members of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity explain how the Bush administration has not only failed to make Americans safer from terrorism but has often made matters worse. In this memo on what still needs to be done -- and in some cases undone -- Rowley and her colleagues warn that running roughshod over civil liberties and collecting too much data on Americans have proved to be the wrong way to go. June 18, 2007

Begging for Libby's Pardon Like fans at a sport stadium trying to start The Wave, influential neoconservatives are doing all they can to get the public excited about a presidential pardon that would keep former White House aide Lewis Libby out of jail. But so far, it looks like the jumping up and down is mostly confined to Inside-the-Beltway. In this guest essay, Bill Moyers explains why the Libby pardon Wave hasn't caught on. June 19, 2007

The Silence of the Bombs Despite public revulsion over the Iraq War, the Bush administration appears determined to pursue the conflict indefinitely, possibly with a new phase repositioning U.S. troops to minimize their casualties but to let the occupation continue. In this guest essay, media critic Norman Solomon examines how the failure of the U.S. press to probe hidden aspects of the war contributes to the ongoing catastrophe. June 14, 2007

America's Fragile Republic Civil libertarians are hailing a two-to-one federal appeals court ruling that rejects George W. Bush's right to snatch civilians off the streets of America and hold them indefinitely as "enemy combatants." But the ruling by a three-judge panel may have been a fluke since the two justices in the majority were Clinton appointees and the full appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, is dominated by Republicans. June 13, 2007

Leaving Iraqi Refugees in the Lurch Among the many tragedies of the Iraq War has been the brutal ethnic cleansing that has driven millions of Iraqis from their homes. And like so many of these horrors, George W. Bush doesn't want to accept responsibility. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland laments this latest failure of the Bush administration to do the right thing. June 12, 2007

Powell Belies 'Commander Guy' Bush On NBC's "Meet the Press," former Secretary of State Colin Powell undercut George W. Bush's insistence that he -- unlike the Democrats -- follows the advice of military commanders on the front lines. Powell said his own prediction of a troop drawdown by early 2007 proved wrong because Bush rejected his commanders' advice and instead ordered a troop "surge." Nevertheless, Bush escapes serious press criticism when he touts himself as "a commander guy." June 10, 2007

bIraq Parallels Vietnam, Not Korea A new Bush administration talking point for the Iraq War is to tell the American people that the bloody conflict will morph into a Korean-style armistace, not a Vietnam-style catastrophe. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland says the reassuring Korean parallel is the latest Iraq War deception. June 7, 2007

Last Plamegate Worry for Bush/Cheney So far, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney have navigated their way past the biggest dangers from the Plamegate scandal. They succeeded at confusing the issue about a possible criminal offense in leaking the identity of a covert CIA officer. They also have left former White House aide I. Lewis Libby holding the bag on the cover-up. Their last worry is the possibility that Libby will start talking, instead of counting on a timely pardon from a thankful President. June 6, 2007

Bush's Global Warming Foot-Dragging Facing increased international pressure, George W. Bush says he's finally ready to take the lead on global warming. But his plan appears to have no real teeth, relying on "aspirational goals" rather than enforceable standards. Despite these new talking points, Bush and his top aides don't seem to have moved very far from seven years ago when they were reading from coal-industry propaganda. June 1, 2007

How Bush Risks an Islamist Bomb Among the many catastrophes surrounding George W. Bush's Middle East wars is possibly the bitterest irony of all -- that he is laying the groundwork for radical Islamists to get an atomic bomb via the collapse of Pakistan's pro-U.S. dictator Pervez Musharraf. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland looks at how Bush's bungled policies in Afghanistan and Iraq are leading inexorably to an even worse disaster. May 30, 2007

Bush's Killer Talking Points George W. Bush cowed congressional Democrats into giving him another blank check for the Iraq War by brandishing talking points that accused war critics of abandoning the troops and aiding al-Qaeda. Though Bush's rhetoric was enough to intimidate Democratic leaders, the old and new talking points don't stand up to serious scrutiny. They remain a mix of non-sequiturs, half-truths and outright lies. May 30, 2007

No Celebration This Memorial Day When congressional Democratic leaders surrendered to George W. Bush's game of chicken over funding the Iraq War, they hoped they could enjoy their Memorial Day recess without facing angry pro-Bush voters accusing them of betraying the troops. Now, they are facing angry anti-war voters accusing them of betraying the troops. In this guest essay, writer Mary MacElveen voices the anger that many Americans feel about a disastrous war brought on by a disastrous political system. May 28, 2007

Lost Whales & a Lost Presidency Two humpback whales find themselves lost and in grave danger, having wandered as much as 90 miles up the Sacramento River in California and showing little indication they grasp the desperate need to reverse course. In this guest essay, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern sees parallels between the two whales and America's leadership in Iraq. May 26, 2007

Grieving Moms vs. Washington Pols One mother sits on her son's grave at Arlington Cemetery and reads from "Corduroy," his favorite baby book. Another mom spent cold winter afternoons in a sleeping bag stretched across her son's grave. Meanwhile, George W. Bush reportedly plots a new combat escalation in Iraq and some members of Congress look to give the President another blank check so they can head home for the Memorial Day recess and say they're supporting the troops. May 22, 2007

Thinking Past Plan B in Iraq Whether as a political maneuver or out of desperation, George W. Bush is signaling that he is giving the Iraq Study Group's recommendations a second look. But thanks to Bush's stubborness last December, the time for a post-surge Plan B may have run out, too. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland argues that the only hope now is for the U.S. to end the occupation and for Iraq to work out a partitioning. May 22, 2007

Rejecting Reality in Iraq Chatham House, a well-respected British think tank, has thrown down a challenge to leaders in Washington and London to begin "accepting realities in Iraq." The new report paints a grim picture of an Iraqi society coming apart and warns that George W. Bush's military "surge" will fail to achieve any lasting security improvements. But the idea that Bush must accept reality goes against his longstanding confidence that he and his friends can shape how many Americans perceive reality. May 18, 2007

The Iraq War: Going, Going, ... George W. Bush's claim that he's "a commander guy" who respects the Iraq War opinions of military experts was belied by his embarrassing failure to persuade any retired four-star generals to take the new job as "war czar." Bush finally had to settle on an active-duty three-star general who opposed Bush's troop "surge." Bush's claims about the success of his "surge" also have been undercut by statistics showing that the violence in Iraq continues unabated. May 17, 2007

Iran's Mission Accomplished The Bush administration's tough-guy rhetoric aside, the winner from the clumsy American occupation of Iraq is almost certainly to be Iran, which has seen its blood enemy, Saddam Hussein, executed and its Shiite allies put in charge. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland suggests that Iran might want to invest in a "Mission Accomplished" banner. May 16, 2007

How George Tenet Lied Former CIA Director George Tenet has made the rounds of the talk shows flacking his semi-tell-all book and insisting that he really did believe Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. However, as former CIA analyst Ray McGovern writes, the evidence actually shows that Tenet and his superiors in the Bush administration knew better. May 14, 2007

The New Emperor's New Clothes One painful part of what's happened over the past several years is to watch so many people who admired the United States as a beacon for human rights come to conclude the opposite. Even as George W. Bush struts about boasting of his fine garments of "freedom" and "liberty," more and more people are daring to point out that this emperor has no clothes. In this guest essay, Professor Inez Hollander tells her personal story of disillusionment. May 11, 2007

The Right's Parallel Universe Oklahoma's Republican Sen. Tom Coburn is a personification of how the American Right has created a parallel universe for its followers by popularizing anecdotes and talking points that diverge with reality. Famous for his bizarre statement about rampant lesbianism in state high schools, Coburn also utters more typical right-wing myths about the dangers of national health insurance. May 9, 2007

Blaming the Iraqis The U.S. government and the American news media seem incapable of dealing responsibly -- or even rationally -- with the disaster that George W. Bush's invasion has unleashed in Iraq. So naturally all sides prefer to blame the Iraqis. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland suggests that U.S. leaders quickly come to grips with the narrowing options. May 9, 2007

Qaeda's Reverse-Reverse Psychology If the American people were to heed George W. Bush, they would listen to the words of al-Qaeda and then do the opposite. The President has said that the terrorists want the U.S. to leave Iraq, so the U.S. must stay in Iraq. But that advice was thrown for a loop by a new al-Qaeda videotape that both mocks the Democrats' plan for a phased withdrawal and prays that the Americans remain caught in their "historic trap." May 8, 2007

Bush Sat on Evidence of Cuban TerrorGeorge W. Bush has taken starkly different moral stands on terrorism, depending on whether the killings are done by enemies or friends. So, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that administration lawyers sat on evidence linking right-wing Cuban Luis Posada to a terror bombing campaign in Havana -- until after Posada was free on bail. May 7, 2007

Readers' Comments Readers had comments about the shortcomings of the Iraq “surge”; the failure to give fuller counts of Iraqi casualties; and the ominous dispute between Russia and Estonia. May 7, 2007

Tenet-Bush Pre-9/11 'Small Talk' George Tenet's memoir sheds new light on the Bush administration's failure to act aggressively on alarming intelligence in summer 2001 about an impending al-Qaeda attack. Tenet followed up on earlier warning by taking a special trip to Bush's Texas ranch in late August. But that meeting slid into small talk about the ranch's "flora and fauna." May 6, 2007

The Ongoing Iraq Intel Fraud Washington's big-time media finally has accepted that George W. Bush's case for invading Iraq in 2003 was bogus. But the press corps still won't challenge more recent White House lies and distortions about Iraq. Though Bush's Iraq intelligence fraud is ongoing and the death toll continues to mount, the U.S. news media has yet to get serious about its watchdog duties. May 5, 2007

Missile Defense Seen as Dangerous The Bush administration's desire to put anti-missile defenses in Europe -- supposedly to defend against some future Iranian threat -- has infuriated Russia, which sees the deployment as a provocative move against its interests. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland warns that the plan could increase the risk of nuclear confrontation. May 4, 2007

Tenet's Disgraceful Apologia George Tenet's new book, explaining his acquiescence to the use of shoddy intelligence to justify invading Iraq, stands as another monument to the blame-shifting careerism that has become the hallmark of George W. Bush's administration. In this guest essay, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern cuts through Tenet's self-serving rhetoric. May 3, 2007

Setting the Table, with All the Options "Tough-guyism" is arguably the dominant ideology of Washington, crossing other ideological fault lines. Republicans and Democrats alike play to the voters with tough-talking slogans like "all options are on the table," even though some nations might interpret that as a nuclear threat. In this guest essay, Peter Dyer argues that the tough talk harms U.S. national interests by cementing America's image as a lawless state. May 3, 2007

Dying for W George W. Bush's key argument against a timetable for withdrawing from Iraq is that the "enemy" would lie low and "wait us out." But Bush now acknowledges he has no evidence for that claim, "just logic." But why not try a timetable if it might might tamp down the violence from Iraqis who resent the U.S. occupation? Right now, Bush's open-ended war means that American soldiers and Iraqis alike are dying for W. April 25, 2007

Washington's Bloody Make-Believe It's taken years for Washington's insider crowd to grasp that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney launched the Iraq War based on lies and distortions. But the idea of demanding serious accountability still remains too hard to accept. In this guest essay, journalist Carla Binion says it's time to finally bridge the gap between Washington's land of political make-believe and the bloody reality that it has caused. April 26, 2007

Exaggerating al-Qaeda's Threat A staple of the Bush administration's "war on terror" has been to wildly exaggerate the global threat posed by al-Qaeda all the better to frighten the American people into supporting whatever measures George W. Bush demands. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland examines some fear-mongering by the Homeland Security chief. April 25, 2007

Hypocrisy: Thy Name Is Bush George W. Bush claims that high moral principles guide his "war on terror" as he brings to justice those who kill innocent civilians to advance a political cause. But the only real consistency to Bush's policy is the hypocrisy.A Special Report. April 21, 2007

Explaining Cheney's Iraq War Smirk Though the American people say they don't want an indefinite war in Iraq, Vice President Dick Cheney oozes confidence in his prediction that the Democrats will surrender to the White House demand for a funding bill that is stripped of a withdrawal timetable. In this guest essay, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern examines why Sen. Carl Levin, D-Michigan, so willingly raised the white flag. April 24, 2007

Gonzales & the 'Mayberry Machiavellis' Attorney General Alberto Gonzales saw nothing unusual about White House complaints last fall that U.S. Attorneys weren't pushing out "voter fraud" indictments of Democrats fast enough. Nor did he resist firing some of those prosecutors a month after Republicans lost the Congress. April 20, 2007

Iraq Disaster May Cool War Fever It is difficult to find any silver lining in the very dark cloud over George W. Bush's Iraq War. In this guest essay, however, Ivan Eland suggests that one positive consequence might be a public revulsion the next time a trigger-happy leader points the country toward war. April 19, 2007

GOP Senators Misled on Prosecutor The Bush administration fed Republican senators misleading talking points about the qualifications of a replacement for one of the eight fired U.S. Attorneys. April 18, 2007

Will Democrats Cave on Iraq Funds? George W. Bush has summoned the congressional Democratic leaders to the White House so he can tell them face to face to give him an Iraq War spending bill with no timetables or other strings attached. In this guest essay, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern looks at the likelihood that the Democrats will crumble in their confrontation with Bush's triumph of the will. April 18, 2007

Bush/Cheney Dig in to Win George W. Bush and Dick Cheney believe they can back down the Democrats over legislative timetables for leaving Iraq -- and as a bonus drive a wedge between national Democrats and their anti-war base. April 17, 2007

Impeachment: A Duty, Not an Option Washington's "conventional wisdom" holds that the idea of impeaching George W. Bush is a non-starter, a pipe dream, so beyond the possible that it's not worth even discussing. In this guest essay, Carla Binion argues why the impossible may be the necessary. April 17, 2007

Readers ReactReaders comment on the lies of the Iraq "surge," George W. Bush's "war czar" idea, protests against Bush and honoring U.S. victims at Malmedy in World War II. April 13, 2007

Iraq & the Logic of Timetables One of George W. Bush's top arguments against a Democratic bill setting a timetable for U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq is that the enemy will just "wait us out." But that could be a good thing. April 12, 2007

Bush's Double Standard on Terrorism George W. Bush loves recalling his post-9/11 principle that anyone who harbors a terrorist will be punished as harshly as the terrorist. Except, of course, when the terrorist is an anti-Castro Cuban and the Bush family is doing the harboring. In this guest essay, Mary MacElveen revisits this Bush double standard. April 13, 2007

Exploding the Clinton-Did-It Defense One question arising from the furor over the Bush administration's firing of eight U.S. attorneys is how unusual the move was.In this guest essay, veteran federal prosecutor Jerry Sanford addresses the Clinton-did-it defense. April 12, 2007

'Surge' Architect Rejects 'War Czar' Job In another sign of Iraq War trouble, an architect of George W. Bush's new "surge" plan was among three retired generals who rebuffed White House offers of a new job called "war czar." April 11, 2007

U.S.-Made Mess in Somalia A huge strategic danger for the United States exists in the worldwide disdain for George W. Bush. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland follows the predictable course of the latest U.S. intervention in Somalia. April 10, 2007

Reader CommentariesReaders comment on the lies of the Bush administration, the war on Gore, and the politicizing of federal prosecutions. April 10, 2007

'Surging' Toward Failure in Iraq George W. Bush's "surge" is getting almost double the number of American soldiers killed in and around Baghdad. But the escalation also is doomed to fail, since it really is only a politically retooled version of the previous failed strategy of "stay the course." April 10, 2007

Bush/Cheney Still Lie with Abandon For years now, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney have acted as if their extraordinary powers extend to inventing reality itself. And despite some recent reversals, they seem to believe they can still fool much of the American public most of the time.April 6, 2007

Did Rove's Protégé Puff Up Résumé?White House defenders now acknowledge that politics may have played some role in the firing of eight federal prosecutors, but they still insist that the first replacement -- J. Timothy Griffin -- measures up as a talented and experienced prosecutor.April 3, 2007

Bush Out of Line Scolding Pelosi Despite a string of disasters in the Middle East, George W. Bush doesn't want any interference -- or assistance -- from anyone. Now is berating Democratic congressional leaders, such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, for their diplomatic efforts. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland notes that the Founders always favored a more assertive Congress. April 3, 2007

Bush, Iran & Selective Outrage George W. Bush is accusing Iran of "inexcusable behavior" in seizing 15 British sailors on accusations they crossed into Iranian waters. British Prime Minister Tony Blair is equally incensed that Iran would fail to comply with world standards for handling such disputes. April 2, 2007

Intel Vets Question Iran-UK Crisis The major U.S. news media is playing up the crisis between Iran and the United Kingdom with all the black-and-white "objectivity" that was on display in 2003 when Saddam Hussein was the villain and George W. Bush was the hero. But a group of retired U.S. intelligence analysts points to a dangerous situation that has a lot of gray. March 30, 2007

Simple Calculus: Why Iran Won in Iraq In many ways President George W. Bush's failure in Iraq was preordained before he ordered the invasion in March 2003. In this guest essay, Middle East expert Morgan Strong says the "simple calculus" of Iraq's population also guaranteed that the ultimate victor would be Iran. March 29, 2007

What to Do About Iran? Though the Bush administration finds itself preoccupied trying to fend off congressional pressure to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq, the drumbeat for countering Iran is likely to grow louder again soon. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland warns that escalating sactions against Iran may hurt more than help. March 29, 2007

Rise of a Very 'Loyal Bushie' Perhaps the best way to understand what the controversy about the eight fired U.S. Attorneys is all about is to follow the career trajectory of one of their replacements.March 28, 2007

The American Ghosts of Abu Ghraib In this first-person account, former Army Sgt. Sam Provance -- one of the heroes of the Abu Ghraib scandal -- describes what he learned when he attended a special screening of the documentary "Ghosts of Abu Ghraib." March 27, 2007

Fatal Flaws of Bush's 'Tough-Guy-ism' George W. Bush has guided the United States into an interminable war in Iraq based on a philosophy of "tough-guy-ism." The approach holds that the only acceptable outcome to a war is American "victory" -- and that all other results, from Vietnam to Somalia, were a failure of will. March 26, 2007

Reader Commentaries Our readers express their views on stories ranging from "Plame-gate" to the media smearing of Al Gore to George W. Bush's rush to war in Afghanistan to the neo-conning of the Washington Post. March 26, 2007

Republican RICO-Style Abuse of Power George W. Bush is rejecting Democratic calls for sworn testimony by his White House inner circle about the unusual firings of eight U.S. Attorneys who were viewed as not "loyal Bushies." In this guest essay, Stephen Crockett suggests that underlying Bush's resistance to a full investigation is evidence of longstanding criminality that borders on racketeering. March 21, 2007

The Terrorists-Follow-Us-Home Myth It's common wisdom that George W. Bush and his neoconservative advisers used false pre-war intelligence to stampede the American people into supporting the Iraq invasion four years ago. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland assesses one of Bush's favorite current myths -- how a military withdrawal from Iraq would mean that the terrorists would follow the troops home. March 20, 2007

Iraq & Washington's Systemic Failure On the fourth anniversary of the disastrous Iraq War, it's tempting to lay the blame at the doorstep of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, since they surely deserve a lot of it. But the war also marked a systemic failure of the Washington political/media hierarchy, a perfect storm of colliding elements -- aggressive Republicans, triangulating Democrats, careerist journalists and bullying pundits. March 19, 2007

Readers' Comments Readers had some insightful comments on how the Washington insiders failed the country on the Iraq War, why the Bush administration’s fired eight federal prosecutors, and what the derivation of the word “petard” is. March 19, 2007

Bush's First 'War on Terror' Blunder History is often the story of little-noticed opportunities missed, potential forks in the road not taken, an arrogant leader plunging ahead toward a catastrophe that he is too headstrong to see. In this guest article, Peter Dyer recalls one such moment in the early days of George W. Bush's "war on terror." March 15, 2007

Intelligence Vets' Memo to Congress A group of former U.S. intelligence analysts advise congressional leaders about how best to wind down the Iraq War -- and they suggest that logic and facts, not politics, should lead the way. March 15, 2007

'Prosecutor-gate': Bush's Power Grab The controversy over George W. Bush's ouster of eight U.S. Attorneys can only be understood in the context of the President's determination in 2005-06 to solidify Republican one-party rule. March 14, 2007

Bush/Cheney & a Love of 'Petards' Neoconservatives love one rhetorical device above all others, flipping an opponent's words back in his face, a process called "hoisting him on his own petard." March 13, 2007

China Hits U.S. Rights Hypocrisy George W. Bush and his "war on terror" have taken the United States so far from its founding concept of "unalienable rights" that Washington invites derision when it chastises repressive nations for denying liberties to their own people. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland notes that even the Chinese government has lobbed back a few salvos. March 13, 2007

Are Democrats Afraid of a Myth? The Democratic majority in Congress is heading toward an Iraq War showdown with George W. Bush over his $105 billlion funding request. March 12, 2007

Afghanistan's 'Hard Mission' Slips Away A Canadian parliamentary panel has taken an unvarnished look at the war in Afghanistan and concluded that it is a "hard mission" that is slipping out of control. March 10, 2007

'Axis of Evil' Report Card Back in January 2002, when George W. Bush unveiled his new construct for enemy nations -- "the axis of evil" -- he was widely hailed in the U.S. news media for his "moral clarity." In this guest essay, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern gives mostly failing grades to the President's strategy. March 9, 2007

Killing U.S. Troops Slowly Some Bush administration officials have expressed shock at the mistreatment of Iraq War veterans at Walter Reed and other medical centers. In this guest essay, writer Michael O'McCarthy explains why the latest disclosures shouldn't have come as that much of a surprise to the Pentagon or the White House. March 9, 2007

WPost Editorial Fantasyland In a normal world, the Washington Post's editorial-page editors would be ashamed of themselves for having swallowed George W. Bush's Iraq War propaganda whole and for helping to mislead the American people into a disastrous war. March 8, 2007

Why Cheney Lashed Out at Wilson An intriguing back story to the "Plame-gate" controversy was the animosity between Vice President Dick Cheney and CIA analysts who felt pressured to distort intelligence in support of the Iraq invasion. In this guest essay, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern examines whether this mutual contempt might help explain the intensity of Cheney's reaction to former Ambassador Joseph Wilson's criticism. March 8, 2007

Time to Admit Defeat in Iraq? In many ways, the inevitability of a U.S. military defeat in Iraq was obvious from the first days, when the Iraqis made clear they would resist. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland looks at the unpleasant options ahead. March 8, 2007

Zeroing in on Cheney-Bush The four-count conviction of White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby for perjury and obstruction of justice has left many Americans, including the jury, wondering why Libby's bosses weren't in the dock with him. A Special Report. March 7, 2007

Reader Commentaries Readers comment on the right of U.S. soldiers to debate the Iraq War, on the disgraceful mistreatment of wounded veterans, on the news media's long-time abuse of Al Gore, on the prospects for a U.S. attack on Iran, and on the Japanese government's refusal to accept blame for the World War II sexual exploitation of women in occupied countries. March 5, 2007

The Big, Unanswered Iran Question Even as two American aircraft carrier strike groups cruise near Iran, U.S. intelligence remains in a fog about crucial questions, including where Iran's nuclear program stands and what is the realistic danger. In this guest essay, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern looks at the intelligence community's confusion. March 2, 2007

Does Cheney 'Validate' al-Qaeda? Dick Cheney has accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of proposing a U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq that would "validate" al-Qaeda's strategy. But captured al-Qaeda documents and other evidence indicate that if anyone is playing into al-Qaeda's hands, it is Cheney and George W. Bush. March 1, 2007

Blaming the Iraqis for the Iraq Disaster Ever since 1984 when Jeane Kirkpatrick famously dubbed any American who criticized U.S. foreign policy as a "blame America firster," U.S. politicians have been loathe to speak critically of American wrongdoing abroad. Instead politicians -- and many journalists -- triangulate their way to positions that somehow dump the blame on a third party. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland says that in the context of the disastrous Iraq War, U.S. politicians have decided that the someone is the Iraqi people. February 22, 2007

The Lost Mystery of 'Iraq-gate' On Dec. 30, 2006, George W. Bush and the Shiite-dominated government of Iraq took their revenge on Saddam Hussein, dropping him through a gallow's trap door to his death dangling at the end of a noose. The Bush family also was happy that a potentially troublesome witness was silenced. In this guest article, Peter Dyer looks at the evidence and the unanswered questions of the Iraq-gate scandal. February 28, 2007

Losing the War in Afghanistan Since late 2001, George W. Bush and his supporters have boasted about Bush's supposed success in Afghanistan even as Iraq was degenerating into a world-class disaster and the U.S. position was slipping in other country across the strategic Middle East. Now, however, Afghanistan, too, is sliding toward failure. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland looks at the painful lesson that the United States never seems to learn about nation-building and mission creep. February 28, 2007

Bush Faces Opposition on Iran Attack George W. Bush is encountering stiff resistance from the Pentagon brass to the prospect of expanding the Middle East conflict to Iran. After acquiescing to Bush's ill-fated strategies on Afghanistan and Iraq, some senior U.S. commanders are contemplating resignations if Bush presses ahead with attacks on Iran. The revolt of the generals may reach as high as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Peter Pace. February 27, 2007

GOP, Global Warming & Dinosaur Farts After the Nov. 7 elections, many observers thought Republicans would moderate some controversial positions, from the Iraq War to their resistance to the science on global warming. Instead many Republicans have stuck to their guns and dug in their heels. In this guest essay, Richard Monastersky and Jeffrey Brainard look at the hostile reception the GOP gave global warming scientists. February 22, 2007

Bush Is Losing the 'War on Terror' Al-Qaeda's resurgence in new Pakistani strongholds is the latest sign that George W. Bush is losing "the war on terror" and has become a dangerous liability to the American people.February 20, 2007

Inhofe and the Old/New Republicans Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Inhofe -- like many of his GOP colleagues -- is acting as if the November 2006 elections never happened. Instead of softening their positions on the Iraq War and global warming, many Republicans are digging in their heels determined to tough their way back to the majority in 2008. February 14, 2007

America's 'Tarzan' Foreign Policy Still driven by a neoconservative ideology, the Bush administration is leading the United States into a foreign-policy jungle where George W. Bush may think of himself as the world's most powerful predator today but where that supremacy may not be long lived. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland uses another jungle metaphor, likening Bush's foreign policy to a chest-thumping Tarzan declaring "we good, you bad." February 14, 2007

WPost Disses the Dixie Chicks Top editors of the Washington Post just can't get over the fact that they were completely wrong about the Iraq War and many American citizens, who weren't part of the capital's elite, got it right. This bizarre grudge played out again after the Dixie Chicks won five Grammy awards for their heroic album "Taking the Long Way" and their defiant song "Not Ready to Make Nice." February 12, 2007

A Greater Israel The political dynamic between Israel's hardliners and pandering American politicians has created a dangerous momentum in the Middle East, one that could push the strategic region toward a cataclysm and leave Israel more vulnerable than ever. February 12, 2007

Will the Dems Finally Play Hardball? The Republicans outmaneuvered the Democrats again in blocking a Senate debate on a mildly worded non-binding resolution criticizing George W. Bush's Iraq War escalation. But the Democrats have other areas where they could exercise oversight and demand accountability from senior White House officials. February 7, 2007

Bending to George W. Bush's Will When Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid put forward two Republican-sponsored resolutions -- one opposed to the Iraq War "surge" and the other for it -- he was met with the bizarre spectacle of GOP sponsors joining a filibuster of their own measures. In this open letter to two of those senators, John Warner and Chuck Hagel, political analyst Brent Budowsky says he regrets urging Reid to trust in their steadfastness as they placed party loyalty before duty to the troops. February 9, 2007

Smirkingly Shirking on an Iraq War Bet Right-wing pundit Jonah Goldberg made a swaggering bet two years ago -- that by this time Iraqis and Americans would agree the war was worth it. Should Goldberg now pay up? In this guest essay, media critic Jeff Cohen recalls the hubris that dominated right-wing opinion circles in early 2005 as George W. Bush still basked in the glow of his Second Inaugural and Republicans mused about a one-party state. February 9, 2007

Billions Wasted on Defense Spending The Bush administration justifies a hefty increase in defense spending because of the "war on terror." In this guest essay, Ivan Eland compares the spending for big-ticket military items against the needs of counter-insurgency war against terrorists. February 7, 2007

Fourth Anniversary of Powell's Lies On Feb. 5, 2003, George W. Bush tapped the most credible person in his administration to go before the United Nations and make the case for preemptive war against Iraq. The disastrous conflict -- and the lies used to justify it -- have left in tatters the image of the United States and the credibility of Colin Powell. February 5, 2007

The Plight of Damaged Iraq War Vets For many Iraq War architects, the use of military force in international affairs is an abstrction, something learned in a political science class. In this guest essay, research psychologist Andrew Weaver and former CIA analyst Ray McGovern discuss the plight of Iraq War vets. February 5, 2007

Still No Habeas Rights for You The Bush administration is asserting that George W. Bush is the only one who can decide if you will be granted habeas corpus rights to a fair trial or be locked away indefinitely as an "enemy combatant."February 3, 2007

Libby's Trial Becomes Cheney's Trial Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is building a case to prove that former vice presidential chief of staff "Scooter" Libby committed perjury and obstruction of justice. In this guest essay, political analyst Brent Budowsku looks at how the Libby trial morphed into the shadow trial of Dick Cheney. February 4, 2007

New Gulf of Tonkin in Persian Gulf The Bush administration is whipping up a new war frenzy over Iran despite the catastrophe still unfolding in neighboring Iraq. In this guest essay, writer Daniel Patrick Welch asks if the U.S. public is about to watch a new Gulf of Tonkin ploy play out in the Persian Gulf. February 4, 2007

Bush Is Hiding the Ball on Iran Much as he did before the Iraq invasion, George W. Bush is limiting the debate about war with Iran, offering assurances that he considers war "a last resort" even as he moves his military forces into place. Similarly, the Democrats and the national press corps are behaving mostly as either passive observers or willing enablers. February 2, 2007

Blaming Liberals for 9/11, Again For decades now, American liberals have been the favorite whipping boy for almost any pundit assigning blamed for almost any problem afflicting the United States. Now, right-wing author Dinesh D'Souza is out with a new book reprising how the liberals were the reason that al-Qaeda struck at New York and Washington on 9/11. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland dissects D'Souza's argument. February 1, 2007

Dems Give Bush Bipartisan Cover Although George W. Bush has refused to make any concessions to his Iraq War critics -- and indeed suggests they are helping the enemy -- congressional Democratic leaders are bending to his desire for a new bipartisan panel to advise him, after first rejecting the idea. In this guest essay, political analyst Brent Budowsky warns that giving in to Bush sends a dangerous message to "the Decider." February 1, 2007

Iran Clock Is Ticking Time may be running out for Congress and the American people to put in place any constraints on President George W. Bush before he plunges ahead with a new war against Iran. January 31, 2007

The Democrats' Iraq War Dilemma As George W. Bush and Dick Cheney make clear they won't reverse course on Iraq, the new Democratic congressional majority finds itself facing a difficult dilemma. Many Americans who put the Democrats in power want serious action to bring U.S. troops home now. January 30, 2007

Bush Bamboozles Democrats Again In December, Senate Democrats were persuaded to give Robert M. Gates a free pass to become Defense Secretary, despite warnings from CIA officers who had worked with him. The Democrats bought into the "conventional wisdom" that Gates would guide George W. Bush toward a phased withdrawal from Iraq.. January 27, 2007

The Other Iraq War: Son vs. Father The Iraq War is a tragic story of miscalculation and hubris that has claimed the lives of 3,000 American soldiers and possibly hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. But the war may have another dimension, a psychological conflict between a headstrong son and his disapproving father. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland says one motive in George W. Bush's decision to plunge deeper into the Iraq quagmire may be that he won't admit that his father was right. January 27, 2007

Who's Helping the Terrorists? Liz Cheney, a daughter of the Vice President, took to the Op-Ed page of the Washington Post to imply that Americans who didn't get in line behind George W. Bush's Iraq War were aiding al-Qaeda. She reprised one of Bush's favorite refrains, that al-Qaeda wants U.S. forces to leave Iraq and that to do so would "help the terrorists." January 26, 2007

No Longer Leader of the Free World George W. Bush insists he's a great believer in democracy, at least the theoretical sort he envisions for a Middle East pacified by Western power and willing to elect candidates favored by Washington. But he wasn't eager to count all the votes in Florida in 2000, nor is he ready to listen to the message from the voters in 2006. In this guest essay, political analyst Brent Budowsky observes the tragedy of an American President who no longer is hailed as the "leader of the free world." January 25, 2007

Taking Peace Mandate to Washington On January 27, thousands of marchers plan to descend on Washington with the goal of reminding the government and the news media that the voters expressed a clear desire for peace during last year's elections. January 25, 2007

Bush's War on the Republic In his State of the Union speech, George W. Bush made clear why his endless "war on terror" could mean the end of the American Republic. Bush has so expanded the original concept of fighting al-Qaeda and "terrorist groups with global reach" -- to instead try to drain an ever-deepening pool of Islamic militancy -- that the United States can't win the war. January 24, 2007

The Plame-gate Plot Thickens The start of "Scooter" Libby's trial brought disclosures suggesting a criminal cover-up reaching to the top of the Bush administration. According to Libby's lawyer, Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff complained that "they're trying to set me up. They want me to be the sacrificial lamb" to protect George W. Bush's political aide, Karl Rove. January 24, 2007

Show Me the Intelligence! An important back story of the Iraq War disaster has been the Bush administration's success in manipulating and/or ignoring intelligence that didn't fit with preordained decisions. Often the concept of objective intelligence was turned on its head. January 21, 2007

Gonzales Questions Habeas CorpusIn another sign of President George W. Bush's disdain for America's "unalienable rights," Attorney General Alberto Gonzales argued before the Senate Judiciary Committee that the Constitution does not explicitly grant Americans habeas corpus rights to a fair trial. Challenging two centuries of established legal opinion, Gonzales quibbled over the fact that the Constitution simply bars habeas corpus from being suspended except in extraordinary circumstances. Gonzales's comment suggests that Bush and his lawyers still see American rights as optional. January 19, 2007

Bush's Canadian 'Clone' in Jeopardy The aftershocks of the Republican congressional defeat in November are reverberating north of the border as Canada's Conservative government is showing signs of falling. The rejuvenated Liberals are expected to press for a vote of no-confidence in Prime Minister Stephen Harper as early as February, possibly depriving George W. Bush of another close ally.January 18, 2007

Readers Write More on Gonzales Readers comment about our articles on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's peculiar view of habeas corpus and on the political troubles of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. January 20, 2007

Scooter Libby's Time-Travel Trial The Big Media has judged the trial of former White House aide
Lewis "Scooter" Libby as an irrelevance, a case study in the old cliche that "it's not the crime but the cover-up." However, the major news organizations are again missing the point. Libby's trial is a chance to show how George W. Bush punished early dissenters to his Iraq War.January 17, 2007

Bush's Iraq Plan Founders with Shiites Iraq's Shiite-dominated government and its militia allies appear willing to let the U.S. military escalation go only so far -- in the direction of taking on the rebellious Sunni minority. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland looks at the contradictions undermining George W. Bush's plan. January 17, 2007

The Logic of a Wider Mideast War Despite Bush administration denials about planned attacks on Iran, there is a powerful and dangerous logic carrying the United States toward a wider war in the Middle East. There also is an accumulation of evidence that George W. Bush is putting in place the military and political infrastructure for escalating the Iraq War into a regional conflagration. January 14, 2007

Washington's Epic Battle, War or Peace Faster than many political observers expected, the Democratic-controlled Congress is moving to challenge George W. Bush's war policies, a battle that likely will start with a non-binding "sense of Congress" resolution opposing Bush's escalation in Iraq. While some anti-war activists have criticized the move as "only symbolic," political analyst Brent Budowsky argues that the resolution will lay the groundwork for more momentous battles in the weeks ahead. January 12, 2007

The U.S.-Iran-Iraq-Israeli-Syrian War In a White House background briefing, George W. Bush surprised TV news executives with a stark warning about an imminent crisis with Iran, and he presented an alarmist vision of a region-wide explosion. January 12, 2007

Bush May Doom GOP Candidates in '08 George W. Bush's determination to escalate the war in Iraq and ignore the clear electoral message from American voters in November has shocked many congressional Republicans as much as it has outraged Democrats. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland warns that Bush's stubbornness could seal the fate of Republicans in 2008. January 10, 2007

Pundits No, Everyday Citizens Yes In the old days, it might have made sense to highlight the seasoned judgment of some experienced journalist. But now with 24/7 cable news and the ubiquitous pundit shows, it's often obvious that the talking heads are talking nonsense. In this guest essay, writer Mary MacElveen suggests that the Big Media could do no worse -- and might do a lot better -- in giving voice to everyday Americans. January 10, 2007

Saddam's Well-Timed Execution The rushed hanging of Saddam Hussein appears even more sinister after the genocide trial resumed for his co-defendants with the playing of a tape recording in which the dead dictator chillingly describes the lethality of chemical weapons on civilians. January 10, 2007

Bush's Rush to Armageddon George W. Bush's shakeup of top military and intelligence officials for the Middle East may have a worrisome subtext. Though widely viewed in Official Washington as routine personnel changes, the removal of key critics of military escalation give Bush a freer hand to implement options that could include expanding the conflict to Iran and Syria.January 8, 2007

Iraq Debate Challenge to Dem Adviser Facing George W. Bush's escalation of the Iraq War, Democratic leaders have jettisoned an earlier consultant-driven strategy designed to soft-pedal war differences and concentrate on popular domestic issues. Not surprisingly, some Democratic consultants are mad that their focus-grouped plans have been disrupted. In this guest essay, Democratic political analyst Brent Budowsky challenges one top consultant to debate how Democrats should treat the war. January 8, 2007

Defiant Neocons & a Realist Response Despite resistance from key U.S. military commanders and the leaders of the new Democratic majorities in Congress, George W. Bush appears poised to press ahead with a "surge" -- or escalation -- of U.S. forces in Iraq. In this guest essay, former CIA analyst Peter W. Dickson looks at some of the arguments behind the "surge" plan and some alternative strategies. January 6, 2007

Holding Intelligence Liars Accountable From both the White House and Congress, there's lots of talk about how important it is to look to the future, not dwell on the past. But one painful lesson from the Iraq debacle is that Official Washington's failure to understand the past -- and the real histories of key plays -- contributed to today's catastrophe. In this guest essay, former U.S. intelligence analysts Ray McGovern and W. Patrick Lang argue that the United States can ill afford letting the Iraq War liars off lightly. January 6, 2007

Dems, We're Citizens, Not Consumers For the first time in a dozen years, the Democrats are in charge of both houses of Congress. But the leaders still don't understand how they finally won in 2006. So, in their initial legislative blitz, the Democrats will avoid challenging George W. Bush's abuses of presidential power or his handling of the Iraq War. January 4, 2007

Operation: Save Bush's Legacy Ignoring the results of the Nov. 7 election and the advice of U.S. generals, George W. Bush appears set on escalating the Iraq War by sending in about 20,000 more U.S. soldiers. Signaling his determination to "surge" the troops, Bush also is purging military brass who disagree with his judgment. January 3, 2007